The Golden Ghost Redone
by MutantLover09
Summary: Tyler Matthews has always been normal, a troubled teenager but average nonetheless. Until something changes him and not for the better. Now he has powers he doesn't want and can't control. And worse still he's caught the attention of a sinister new ghost.
1. Part 1: A day in the life of

Edited as of June 26, 2008

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom that right belongs to Butch Hartman and Nick Studios.

Chapter 1: A day in the life of…

Tyler Matthews heaved a restless sigh as he sat outside of the school cafeteria on one of the table/benches. He poked a fork aimlessly into what appeared to be some sort of tuna salad and cat food combo. But as the lunch ladies had said, several times, it was actually Tuna surprise.

The teen huffed, "What's the surprise after you eat it you glow in the dark?"

After poking the questionable food substance a few more times he dumped his uneaten tray into one of the trashcans situated around the courtyard and sat down under a large oak tree. He leaned his back against the trunk, and glanced around at his classmates. He saw Dash and the football players lounging across several tables with Paulina and her crew jabbering loudly next to them. His light brown eyes drifted over the varying cliques and clubs, finally coming to rest on three normal kids sitting at the far end of the yard.

Ty knew that the one with the blue eyes was Danny Fenton but the other two he didn't know. With a shrug he abandoned his mental search for the girl and boys' name and let his mind drift to other thoughts. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago he, along with his classmates had been at the mercy of a ghost virus that gave each of them a strange ghost related power.

The teen shivered involuntarily at the memory, he had been trying to put the incident behind him but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop bringing it back up. His power had been strange, at first he thought he hadn't contracted the virus, until a flash of blood red light had encased his body.

The blond teen remembered feeling extreme cold rush up his spine, as the light traveled over his body. He also remembered his chest tightening to the point where he thought he was going to suffocate. But after a few moments the light had disappeared and the he felt normal again.

Oh, how far from the truth he had been Ty learned after catching his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His once dark tan face had taken on a sickening blue color and his hair had changed from dirty blond to a spiky glowing golden color.

What had shocked him the most were his eyes, which had gone completely gold even the pupils. After seeing his frightening reflection he had screamed before running out of the bathroom shouting for help. He, like the other infected students, had been moved to that creepy hospital on that extremely creepy hill. And after a few hours of being uncomfortably cold and randomly falling through solid objects, for some unknown reason the ghostly mosquitoes left the teenagers bodies.

"Hey dude the bell just rang." A male voice said, pulling Tyler from his thoughts. He glanced up to see the boy from earlier, with the red beret and glasses, standing over him.

"Oh thanks," Ty mumbled getting slowly to his feet. He flounced past the other boy, his baggy jeans dragging under his large clunky combat boots. It was amazing he didn't trip, considering he wasn't very graceful.

Ty snorted at the thought, lazily looking over his classmates. Most of which, he didn't give a crap about. Maybe he was anti-social, but he liked to keep to himself. As he past a group of pretty girls he smiled suavely at them, hoping to earn at least one smile. But they rolled their eyes and turned away.

_Well, that's high school for ya, _Ty thought with a shake of his head.

He could have sworn he heard the girls mutter 'ew' and 'what a loser' as he walked away.

Tyler ignored them and pushed his way through the crowds of kids, keeping his head down and hands in his pockets. Most of the students swerved to get of his way while others stood off to the side. Ty had the amazing urge to suddenly stop in his tracks and shout, 'Oh god do I have the plague _again!'_ But he resisted the and finally made it to his locker and grabbed his life science book.

Once again he plunged back into the fray of students and made it to his class; plopping down in his seat at the back of the room by the window. As usual he was the last to arrive and as usual everyone watched him silently, no one daring to say a word.

Mr. Johanson shook his head with an annoyed frown. He didn't particularly like Matthews, but seeing as how he was a professional he couldn't exactly show it. The teacher cleared his throat and began his lecture about the upcoming lab assignment.

Ty, at hearing Mr. Johanson start his speech, turned his gaze out the window a bored expression on his face. The boy nearly yelped in surprise when he saw the town's resident ghost boy: Danny Phantom, outside battling another ghost with flaming blue hair. Tyler looked back and forth between the window and his class, but no one else seemed to notice the ghostly combatants.

Open mouthed he looked back outside just as Phantom, with his fists glowing a fluorescent green, charged through the air at the other ghost. It was a girl, about twenty or so with a guitar slung over her shoulder, she played a note on said guitar and flames burst from it in the shape of a large fist.

The attack collided with the ghost boy and he fell from the air crashing heavily onto one of the benches in the front of the school. Tyler leaned over his desk attempting to see the fight better, but a booming voice pulled him back to the classroom.

"Mr. Matthews," Mr. Johanson said sternly. "Care to tell us what you find so intriguing, that you are not paying attention to my directions?"

The blond teen met his teachers' angry glare with a frown. He knew the guy had it in for him, but he was not going to let it show. Ty let a lopsided grin slide across his face. "Well Mr. Johanson I don't think that's a fair question," he narrowed his eyes. "Because everything is more intriguing than listening to one of your lectures."

Some students let out barely suppressed snickers at the insult, while most laughed outright. Tyler leaned back in his seat enjoying the look of rage on his teachers' face. Nothing was more amusing than messing with people, especially when they couldn't do anything to get you back. That was the philosophy Ty lived by.

"Tyler go to the office," Mr. Johanson ordered pointing toward the door, his face burning red.

With a shrug Ty stood and walked at a comfortable pace out the door. He was used to being sent to the office by now and frankly, he didn't really care anymore. When arriving at the office he wasn't surprised to hear the secretary greet him without even looking up.

"Nice to see you again Mr. Matthews," she said as she typed away on her computer. "This would be the third time this week, am I correct?"

Ty grinned as he sat down, "Yeah, you know me too well Gladys."

The young woman, around her late twenties, glanced up at him a light scowl creased her forehead. Though she would never admit it out loud she enjoyed having the teen around. "That's Mrs. Swintly to you," she told him lightly.

"Sorry Mrs. Swintly," Tyler corrected, sending her one of his famous innocent looks.

But the woman could see right through it, "Who sent you and what did you say this time?"

The boy sighed and answered offhandedly, "Mr. Johanson 'cause I wasn't paying attention and I insulted his ability to give lectures." The secretary eyed him and he threw up his hands, "The guy has got it out for me Gladys! I swear I didn't do anything until he started it!"

Gladys shook her head and began typing again. "Tyler you need to stop insulting the teacher's," she started, sliding into lecture mode.

Tyler let his eyes drift away from the woman, letting his expression do all the talking. He was not listening.

Mrs. Swintly caught on to his demeanor and sighed, knowing that look by heart. She wished she could get him to understand that he needed to focus on his school work. He wasn't a dumb kid, but he never applied himself! It was infuriating, especially when you knew the potential he had inside him.

She opened her mouth to try a different tactic when the door at the far end of the room burst open. Standing in its place was a dark haired Asian woman in her forties wearing a pair of black dress pants and a light brown sweater. The name plate on the door read Ms. Chan.

The short woman motioned for Ty to come into her office and the boy wearily complied. Gladys sent him a sympathetic glance as he stood and disappeared into the other room. Ms. Chan shut the door behind the teen and sat down at her desk with an exasperated sigh.

"Mr. Matthews I would say it's good to see you but we both know that isn't true," the woman started. She was tired of having to see the boy every other day; it was grinding on her nerves.

"This is the third time this week that you've been sent to my office and I don't even want to know why," she took off her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes. "Tyler you used to be such a good student up until about two years ago."

Tyler instinctively stiffened in his chair, a snarl coming across his face, he did not like where the conversation was going. Ms. Chan didn't notice her students discomfort and continued, "You don't have to tell me why because I have a pretty good idea and I understand."

"Trust me you couldn't possibly understand," Tyler interrupted in a dark tone.

Ms. Chan looked up at him surprised by his voice, and she couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped her throat. The boy's once light brown eyes had gone completely gold, even covering the pupils. The older woman scrambled out of her chair, fear evident in her expression. Tyler tilted his head confused, his change in mood causing his normal eye color to return.

"Ms. Chan you okay?" The blond asked worriedly.

The woman stared at him her hands shaking; she took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm her racing heart. _I'm sure it was just a trick of the light,_ she mentally assured herself.

"Yes," she cleared her throat putting her glasses back on. "Why don't you go back to the waiting room and I'll call your mother." Without a word the teen stood up, watching the principal warily he trudged out the door.

_Well that was weird,_ Ty thought, staring at the closed door. _She looked really scared for some reason._

"That was the shortest lecturing to date," Gladys quipped, still typing on her computer.

Tyler smirked wirily, "Yeah I guess she's starting to learn. I don't listen."

Mrs. Swintly sent him a dry look one of her eyebrows raised. Ty put a hand over his heart, "What can I say it's a curse."

The woman rolled her eyes, "She calling your mom?"

Ty winced and nodded, unconsciously sticking his hands back in his pockets. He was okay with the whole lecturing by teachers, but by his mom that was another story. "How's she doing," Gladys asked, referring to his mother.

Tyler sighed running a hand through his short hair, "She's okay, just really busy all the time." He didn't tell Gladys about how his mother, Diane, came home every night around eleven o'clock, if she came home at all and collapsed on the couch exhausted. And somehow she'd be gone before seven thirty every morning. Tyler didn't want any one's pity, so he kept his personal life to himself.

He jumped slightly when Ms. Chan came back out of her office her flustered air gone. "Mr. Matthews, I talked with your mother and we both agreed. Your punishment will be one month of student counseling."

Tyler had been clenching his fists worriedly, but when he heard this he took a startled step back. "What?" He asked confused.

"Student counseling is a program we created for troubled teens. You will go to a session and you will discuss what's bothering you with another student," Ms. Chan explained.

The blond haired teen frowned angrily, _Mom thinks I'm troubled? I'm not loopy I don't need counseling!_

"Is this optional," he sputtered furiously.

The principal shook her head hands on her hips. "Can't you just give me detention?" He tried again, and again she shook her head. "Suspension?" Again she shook her head. "Can't I like clean the erasers or something?"

Ms. Chan sighed, "Tyler this isn't negotiable and you start right now." Before the teen had time to object the principal turned to her secretary, "Ms. Swintly, please show Tyler where to go." She ordered before disappearing back into her office.

Tyler stared after her, his jaw clenched tightly. He couldn't believe how unfair this whole situation was.

Gladys stood up and motioned for him to follow. He growled under his breath, but followed all the same. Once they were out of the office Gladys turned to the fuming teen, "Ty I know that you don't like this, but c'mon it's got to better than detention," she said persuasively.

"I don't need counseling," he muttered crossly.

The young woman rolled her eyes and took off down the hall, followed by a muttering Tyler. After a few moments the two arrived outside of room 210, "This is it," Gladys said, glancing worriedly over her shoulder at the boy.

Without a word Tyler opened the door and walked in. But once inside he froze, his angry expression melting away. Sitting at a table, waiting patiently, was a beautiful red head about the same age as Ty. She was wearing teal pants with a black long sleeved shirt and a headband; she turned to him and smiled gently.

Ty's breath caught in his throat and he felt his cheeks flush. She was so pretty. He couldn't even smile he was so mesmerized. "You kids have fun," Gladys said pleasantly before closing the door, shooting Tyler a knowing grin in the process.

Tyler took a seat across from the girl, still slightly dazed. "Hi I'm Jasmine Fenton, but you can call me Jazz," she said holding out her hand.

Tyler took it, "Um, I-I'm Tyler." He stuttered, wincing mentally for almost forgetting his own name.

Jazz laughed at his nervousness before beginning to speak in a very business like, "So Tyler, I guess we should start off with why you're here."

The blond teen frowned; he knew that tone. It was the voice of a person who knew they were talking to a nut job. And he was not nut job. Tyler leaned back in his chair, taking on his aloof attitude. "Well I guess it all started about fifteen years ago. My parents met at the circus, or so they said, mom was an acrobat and dad was a fire eater-"

"I meant, why are you talking to me right now," Jazz interrupted, frowning slightly.

"Oh," Ty mocked, his eyes going wide with false wonderment. "My bad, you know how we troubled kids can be. I insulted Mr. Johanson's ability to give lectures. I didn't stab anyone if that's what you were thinking."

Jazz paused for a moment, frowning even more. She hadn't been expecting that answer. "I wasn't going to say that," she protested, but regained her demeanor quickly. "Now, what exactly did you do?"

"Nothing really, the guy has got it out for me," he frowned thoughtfully and added. "Not that I blame him, I did glue all his drawers shut that one time. And I insulted his mom last month. Oh and last week I toilet papered his house. Is that the answer you were looking for, Jazz?"

Jazz stared at him, "Did you actually do that?"

Tyler inspected his fingernails with great interest, "Yep. I'm one bad apple, chica." He glanced up at her and smiled wolfishly at her thrown expression.

The girl narrowed her eyes, there was no way she was going to let this kid ruin her first real counseling session. She had studied psychology for the past three years and she would be darned if he ruined all her hard work. "You know if you don't start talking soon I might just have to call Ms. Chan in here to have a few words with you."

At this Tyler looked up, slightly wide eyed. _Whoa, she may be pretty, but she is flipping evil. _He cleared his throat nervously, "Alright, what do you wanna know?"

"What were you doing to get kicked out of class," Jazz questioned. Happy that maybe she was getting somewhere.

Tyler shrugged airily, "I was watching Danny Phantom fight off some ghost chick with a guitar."

Jazz's eyes widened and she gasped quietly. "Did you see what happened to Phantom? Was he alright, he wasn't hurt was he," she asked quickly, her voice sounding desperate.

Ty stared at her a little shocked at her outburst. "Whoa calm down," he said, leaning away from her. "Why do you care anyway?"

Jazz calmed a bit and shrugged, "I…I don't care," she stuttered. "I was just wondering."

The blond haired teen rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh that's why you just flipped out asking if he was okay. Please don't tell me you're obsessed with ghosts like your family."

Jazz frowned at him, her patience running thin. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," she snapped. The girl took a deep breath and forced herself to sound casual, "So was he okay, Phantom, nothing happened to him right?" She asked anxious-ness flashing in her eyes.

Tyler casually picked at his nails again, before giving her a rakish grin. "I could tell you if you ask nicely." He said smugly knowing he had struck a nerve with the ghost comment.

Jazz glared at him, "Please," she hissed clenching her fists. Her remaining patience was officially gone; she wanted to know if her brother was okay but this idiot wouldn't tell her.

Ty sighed dramatically. "I'm afraid that sounded a little harsh. Could you try that again, a little more sincerely?" He asked smirking.

The red haired girl dug her hand into her pocket and whipped out the Fenton Lipstick. She aimed the glowing weapon at the boy's head. "Please tell me what happened to Phantom," she snarled. The girl knew she was acting a bit rash, but if this was the only way to get information it was worth it.

Ty looked calmly between the lipstick and the angry girl the smug grin never leaving his face. "Ok psycho chick," he chuckled holding up his hands. "I didn't get to see the whole fight, but I'm pretty sure the ghost kid was fine." Ty pointed at the glowing lipstick still aimed at his head, "Mind lowering the lipstick of death?"

After a moment Jazz stuck the weapon back in her pocket and sat down. Ty heard her sigh quietly and he didn't miss the look of satisfaction that crossed her face. "So now that your split personality is gone, mind telling me why you care so much about the ghost boy?" Ty asked, actually curious.

"I told you I don't," the red head denied crossing her arms.

Ty only waggled his eyebrows as if to say 'sure, right I know your dirty little secret.'

Jazz scowled at him partly out of anger, partly out of annoyance; she really didn't like this kid. "Shut up, I don't care about the ghost kid or any ghosts for that matter," Jazz nearly shouted, on the verge of launching herself at the other teen.

Tyler chuckled, "First off I didn't say anything. Second, if you didn't care about the ghost kid you wouldn't have threatened me with a tube of lipstick. Third, you come from a family of ghost hunters, there's no way you don't care about ghosts," he ticked off the points with his fingers, still smiling that infuriating smile.

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't even start with my family," she said quietly. "Their crazy obsession with ghosts just makes me feel so," she waved her hand through the air, searching for the correct word. "Inadequate."

The girl took a deep breath and forged on, "Sometimes I feel that my parents put ghost hunting before Danny and I. And I can't help but feel angry about it." She looked up at Tyler, hopeful that her little heart to heart would help to break the shell of anger and distrust that clearly surrounded the boy. Jazz may have not been a real counselor, but she had read enough on the subject to know what to say and do.

Ty looked her up and down, a thoughtful frown plastered on his face. "Wow," he whistled after a minute. "And I thought I was supposed to be the messed up one. Maybe we should switch places for a little bit," he suggested, motioning between them with his finger.

Jazz felt like slapping him, the blond had somehow managed to contradict everything she had learned about psychiatry in a matter of, thirty-five minutes. She sighed again, and met the other teens' gaze furiously.

She had to admit, he kind of had had nice eyes. She looked him over, examining his tanned skin and messy hair. Jazz noticed, a little worriedly that he had dimples to go along with his infuriating, arrogant smirk. The girl cleared her throat and forced her gaze away from Tyler, instead focusing on some notes she had taken below her.

"How about we focus on your problems," Jazz said quickly. Tyler suddenly leaned forward, so he was mere inches away from Jazz, he inspected her with a critical gaze. The girl wanted to move away from him, but found she couldn't when her eyes met his.

"You're a weird one Jazz," he whispered, thoughtfully. She shivered as his breath tickled her cheek.

"And what does that make you?" Jazz shot back, thought it sounded more playful than witty. She was surprised, and somewhat not surprised, when Ty grinned and chuckled quietly.

"No idea," he breathed. "I'm just a troubled teenager, remember?"

The two teenagers gazed into each others' eyes: light blue meeting brown. The moment seemed to last forever to Jazz and she unconsciously didn't want it to end. She was pulled back to reality when the bell rang, signaling the end of school.

Ty pulled away from Jazz and stood up, "See you tomorrow, Jasmine," he said before he disappeared out the door.

The boy walked away from the room, thoughts buzzing in his head. Jazz was definitely different from other girls; or most people in general. And the boy couldn't help but feel attracted to her. But there was no way a beautiful girl like that would be interested in a basket case like Ty, especially after the way he treated her.

The blond rubbed the back of his neck while weaving through the closely packed halls. "Maybe that wasn't the best way to get her to like me," he whispered.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the blob of messy raven colored hair walking towards him until he collided head on with it. Ty gasped as he and the mess of black hair both fell onto their butts. The blond haired teen looked up to see the boy from lunch watching him warily with icy blue eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," The skinny boy said quickly, almost seeming afraid.

_Of what, _Ty couldn't help but think. The two were almost the same height, with Tyler at least four inches taller. Not to mention that Danny didn't seem to be as scrawny as he usually did. _I wonder if he's been working out, or something,_ Ty observed as he stiffly got back to his feet.

"Nah," Tyler shrugged, holding out his hand to the other teen. "It was my fault, wasn't paying attention to the road," he joked, pulling Danny to his feet.

Danny looked relieved as he adjusted his backpack, "Yeah I know what you mean," he agreed. Just then, Danny looked at his watch and winced, "Oh jeez I gotta go, nice talking to you," he said as he hurried away.

"Yeah," Ty called to the quickly disappearing teen sounding puzzled. He shrugged and turned heading for the exit. He came out of the school and took a deep breath, _Sweet freedom._ He thought cheerfully releasing a happy sigh. Suddenly the blond felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and he spun around to see Mr. Johanson standing over him.

"Mr. Matthews," the teacher said. "I forgot to tell you, you have detention."

Tyler stared at him open mouthed, "For what?"

Mr. Johanson chuckled humorlessly as he held up a small roll of toilet paper. Ty's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to make up a quick excuse when he saw a red head standing just behind the teacher in front of him. The boy's eyebrows rose when he recognized the head as Jazz. 'You blabbed,' he mouthed furiously, sending her an excusing stare.

Jazz sent him a very self satisfied smile as she mouthed back, 'Yep, that was for calling me Jasmine.' Before Ty could make a sharp retort Mr. Johanson spun him around and led him back into the school. The blond haired teen sent one last angry glare at Jazz and pointed at her.

'You are so going to the top of my revenge list,' he mouthed scowling fiercely.

Jazz shrugged; she felt somewhat bothered at ratting out her fellow teenager, but she felt the need to get back at Tyler for screwing up her first student counseling meeting. The girl mouthed casually, 'Whatever you say,' before she turned and flounced out the door.

_Oh she is so gonna pay,_ Tyler thought._ This means war. _


	2. Frightening Realizations

First of I would like to thank everyone that reviewed; you all get a virtual hug! Second I am having a naming contest for Ty's eventual alter ego name I have a few ideas but I would love to hear what you guys think. Third if anyone has an account at Deviantart feel free to make a sketch of Tyler, I'd like to see what people think he looks like. Well that's all for now, enjoy the chapter.

--Edited as of June 26, 2008.--

Review Thanks to: PunkMichPhantom, Em Phantom, ShadowWolf123, ArmoredSoul, Pterodactyl, pottersparky, and Silver Shadowbreeze.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nick Studios not me.

**Chapter 2: Frightening Realizations**

Tyler was still fuming by the time he made it to the all too familiar Detention Room. He still couldn't believe that Jazz had ratted him out, it was like she had broken an unwritten law of teenagers. The blond haired teen pulled the door open and slumped into Detention, for probably the tenth time that month.

"Mr. Matthews so good of you to join us," Mr. Lancer greeted in his usual bored tone. Tyler mumbled a hello and plopped down in a seat towards the back. He dropped his head onto the desk with a quiet thump.

The boy heard chuckling come from the desk next to him and looked up to see Valerie Gray watching him with amusement. "I'm happy to see you too," she joked, keeping her voice low.

Tyler lifted his head and sent her a rueful grin, "I know you are," he told her smugly. He and Valerie knew each other quite well; both of them being outsiders in the school. They both had a lot in common.

The African American girl rolled her eyes, keeping her gaze on her doodles. Tyler leaned over to see her drawing, ignoring the girl's angry protests. The picture showed a cartoon ghost floating over a stack of boxes; a bubble came out of his mouth shouting, "BEWARE!" A few centimeters away from the ghost was a girl holding an ecto gun tightly in her hands; she was standing on a floating surfboard type thing.

Ty nodded thoughtfully, "Hm, I think I know who the ghost is, but whose she," he tapped the drawing of the girl.

Valerie looked embarrassed as she covered up her paper, "It's nothing," she said quickly. "Just some dumb doodle."

Tyler gently put his hand on hers, "I don't think it's stupid," he told her. The two teenagers looked into each other's eyes before staring down at their still touching hands. Ty pulled his back instantly his cheeks flushing red. He didn't like Valerie like that, they were strictly friends and he had no desire to change that. But sometimes the two shared awkward little moments where they both ended up red faced.

_Darn hormones,_ Tyler mentally snarled.

The young man cleared his throat, "Like I said it's not dumb. You're actually a pretty good artist," he said, observing her drawing once more.

Valerie smiled, happy to feel their awkward situation gone. "This coming from the guy who can't even draw a circle," she joked, her eyebrows raised.

Ty scowled pointing a finger at her, "That only happened once and I had a cold," he objected. The girl only shook her head, quiet giggles escaping her lips as she returned to her drawing. Tyler leaned back in his seat and glared at the clock, it read 3:43. He still had a good twenty minutes of torture. "So," he said drawing out the word. "Do you work tonight?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Valerie admitted grudgingly without looking up. "What about you?"

"Yep," the blond groaned. "And by the looks of it I'm gonna be late…again."

Valerie winced in sympathy. She knew her friend was late, a lot, and she also knew his boss was steadily losing his patience for Tyler. The boy really wasn't the easiest person to get along with. The only reason she had started talking to him was because they had met while working at the Nasty Burger.

The two teenagers had gotten to know each other very well those three weeks, until Tyler got fired for his amazing gift to annoy his superiors. Well, it wasn't really a gift, but he had managed to enrage just about anyone with power that he met. Including the teachers, principal, Nasty Burger Boss, the Pet Shop Boss, the Movie Theater Boss, and the Box store owner. The girl shook her head, when she really stopped to think about it, it was amazing that Tyler even had a job at all

_Well, at least for the moment he has a job_, she corrected mentally.

"Do you think that Mr. Derby will give you another chance?" she whispered, noticing Lancer was watching them with a stern glare.

Ty seemed to notice too because he answered in a whisper also, "Maybe but I doubt it he doesn't really like me." The teen paused as if mulling over what he'd just said, "Not that that's anything new," he added.

_Whoa, that was slightly depressing,_ he realized, slowly letting his head fall onto the desk again. He could feel Valerie's soft gaze on him but he didn't raise his head, he was too busy trying to figure out how he was going to get to work on time.

_Ok let's see, I get out at around 4:00 and I gotta be at work at 4:10. So that means that I have to get across town in a matter of ten minutes,_ he concluded. The teen moaned into his desk, wishing he had something to yell into.

He couldn't get a cab, because he had not money. And a bus would take too long; the boy nervously bit his lip. _That leaves only one option,_ the blond looked down at his boot clad feet, _running._

Tyler cringed at the thought for several reasons. Number one, running with steel toed combat boots wasn't an easy task in and of itself. Number two, he used to be a pretty strong runner but he had dropped the sport a few years back, and had avoided it at as much as possible since.

"Well it looks like I'm going to get my daily dose of exercise today," he muttered reproachfully into his hands. Valerie sent him a quizzical look and he waved her off, not wanting to burden her with his problems.

_Besides it's not like she could get me to work faster,_ he mentally scoffed. _Well maybe if she could fly. _The teen couldn't stop the amused grin that spread across his face.

"Like that could ever happen," he chuckled, glancing over at the girl as he thought about her.

He sighed in relief when Mr. Lancer announced that it was 4:00 and that they could leave. In a matter of seconds the boy had grabbed his black backpack off the floor and sprinted out the door.

He shouted a quick goodbye to Valerie over his shoulder and she waved quizzically back at him. Tyler dashed down the empty halls of Casper High, his heavy boots making a steady 'thump…thump…thump' as he ran. He reached the outer doors and flung them open then leapt off the stoop and onto the sidewalk.

By the time he was half a block away from the school he was already gasping for breath. "Ok…gasp….maybe…huff…physical activity…pant…isn't that bad…ugh…of an idea," he gasped out. Tyler really wanted to stop by the time he was, at least ten blocks away from the Movie Store, but he knew he couldn't.

If he lost this job he was in deep crap. So, against his better judgment, he changed his course and shot down a dark alleyway, hoping that his shortcut would make his trip a little easier.

Tyler jumped over a trashcan that was lying on its side, and continued on through the dark and creepy alley. Just as Tyler thought he was going to catch a break for once in his life, a large glowing thing flashed across his vision. The blond boy slowed to a trot and glancing anxiously behind him, to find that he was completely alone.

"I could' a sworn," he breathed confused. Deciding it wasn't important he turned back around and ran straight into an armor clad ghost with a flaming green Mohawk.

Ty yelped in surprise and fear as he stumbled away from the ghost who was watching him with a predators grin. With snake-like swiftness the ghost's arm shot and grabbed Tyler roughly by the collar of his T-shirt. The ghost lifted the frightened teen up to eye level still smiling evilly.

Tyler was so scared he couldn't even move to pull himself free. He squeaked in fear as the ghost wrenched him off the ground with frightening ease. The ghost looked at his other arm, where a small PDA looking device was built.

"This infernal device must be acting up again." The ghost growled his deep gravelly voice rumbling around the alley. Ty visible flinched at the sound; he'd never felt so afraid in his life.

The ghost, still glaring at his device, muttered half to himself, "It's supposed to be keyed into the whelp's ecto signature." He glanced up at the quaking Ty. "If that's true then why did it lead me to you," he said thoughtfully.

The trembling teen spoke up, in hopes of pushing the conversation away from him. "Y…you're ri…ght how about you go f…ind the whelp and I'll just be o…on my way," he stammered.

The metallic ghost's frightening grin returned as he shook the shaking teen. "First I think I'll have a little fun," he said menace dripping of his words.

Tyler clenched his eyes shut, _At least let it be quick, _he prayed. The boy gasped in surprise when he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Ty cracked his eyes open and gasped; Danny Phantom had appeared in the alley and he was beating the crap out of the other ghost.

"How many times do I have to tell you Skulker," Phantom ground out as he punched the other ghost. "You really need to get a hobby."

Skulker, moving surprisingly quick for someone of his size, he managed to right himself just before he collided with the hard brick wall.

"This is my hobby," Skulker rumbled dangerously, a large ecto gun popping out of his shoulder. Without hesitation he fired it at the ghost teen. Phantom tried to dodge out of the way, but was a second too late. The white haired boy was blown backwards by a strange glowing green substance and he crashed into the dumpster at the far end of the alley. A cry escaping his lips as pain shot through his spine.

Skulker charged at the downed ghost boy, a triumphant smile on his face. Ty watched in silence as Phantom sat up cradling his head, his eyes widening as he saw the incoming hunter ghost. The ghost teen suddenly patted around his body and took a sharp intake of breath,

_Where is the thermos!_ He mentally shouted.

His green eyes came to rest on the cylindrical device lying a few feet from Tyler, who was still sitting on the ground his eyes round with terror. Phantom just managed to shout, "Use the thermos!" before he was blown backwards by Skulker once more.

The ghost boys' voice seemed to shake Ty out of his stupor and he sat up, looking around for the "thermos" in question. After a few seconds he found the device and snatched it up, giving it a curious glance.

"You want me to pour soup on him," Ty asked confused. He frowned, a plan already forming in his mind. _Maybe the soup would like short out his armor or something,_ he mused.

Phantom's strained voice reached the boy's ears, sounding annoyed and desperate, "No press the green button!"

Tyler located the button, "Oh," he murmured. He aimed the uncapped thermos at Skulker, making sure there wasn't a chance he could miss, he pressed the green button.

If Tyler hadn't been so intent on what he was doing he might have screamed like a little girl, as the device shot out a flash of blue light. It collided with Skulker and amazingly sucked the large metallic ghost into the thermos. Tyler stood with mouth open, still holding the thermos out in front of him.

The teen jumped when a gloved hand tapped him on the shoulder. And with great effort he pulled his frightened mind back to the present and let his eyes return to focus. Phantom was standing in front of him, looking concerned. "Are you alright," the ghost asked.

Tyler cleared his throat, suddenly feeling self-conscious at showing how frightened he had really been. "Y…yeah," he breathed lowering the thermos and sticking the cap back on. "I think this is yours," he said handing the device to the ghost.

Phantom took it, grateful to have his parent's invention back in his grasp. He sent Tyler a reassuring smile. "Hey thanks for helping out back there," he said waggling a thumb behind him.

Ty nodded his shaken nerves slowly calming down, "I should be the one thanking you," he objected. "If you hadn't shown up I don't know what would' a happened." Tyler couldn't suppress a shudder as he thought about what could have happened to him if Phantom hadn't come in just the nick of time.

The white haired teen shrugged as if it was no big deal. "No problem it's my job," he explained.

At hearing this Ty's shoulders straightened, _oh shit, job!_ He mentally berated himself for forgetting about his job so quickly.

"I…uh I have to go," Ty shouted frantically snatching up his backpack that held his job uniform, "Thanks again Phantom!" He called over his shoulder as he took off down the alley again. Fifteen minutes later Ty arrived outside Amity Movie Rental, breathing heavily. He glanced at his watch and winced as the numbers, 4:38, jumped out at him.

_I'm going to start running tomorrow._ Tyler vowed his hands on his knees, as he desperately tried to catch his breath. Once he was sure he could breathe and talk at the same time the blond pulled on his red vest and waltzed through the sliding doors, trying his best to act casual.

His plan quickly died, when he walked in and came face to face with his very peeved boss. Ty smiled sheepishly at the red faced man, Mr. Derby was usually a very calm person, but after dealing with the rebellious teen on a daily basis he was steadily loosing his patience.

"Tyler," the man said tightly, "Come into my office." Before the blond could object the man spun around and stalked of into his office. Nervously biting his lip Tyler followed him. Once inside Ty sat down, keeping his face carefully blank for his own sake.

Mr. Derby sat behind his desk massaging his temples. "Ty," the man said without looking at the teen, "This is the, what sixth time you've been late in the past three weeks?" At this point the man was consulting his notes with a look of distaste, Mr. Derby looked up at Tyler with an eyebrow raised, "And what excuse do you have for me today," he asked.

Ty cleared his throat while leaning back in his chair hoping to pass off his calm demeanor, although he was nervous on the inside. The fact was Ty had already used the 'I was attacked by a ghost' excuse several times, and sadly he couldn't use it again.

The boy swallowed, knowing he was going to have to make up a story as he went along. "Well Mr. D," he started, stalling for time. "That is a wonderful question, and one that I would love to answer, because I do have a reason for why I was late."

The teen almost snapped his fingers when he finally came up with his story; it wasn't exactly a lie and wasn't exactly the full truth but it was all he had at the moment. "And that reason would be, I had an appointment with my student counselor," he said feigning innocence. "It's not something I like to admit but it's true."

Mr. Derby looked guilty at receiving the information and wished he hadn't been so hard on the boy. Ty noticed his look and smiled on the inside, _Maybe I will be able to get out of this, with my job. _

"Oh well I'm sorry, I didn't know," the man apologized quickly feeling embarrassed. "I'll just let this one slide today."

Tyler jumped out of seat at hearing this, still keeping his expression as innocent as possible. "Thanks Mr. D I'll be sure to tell my counselor when I work next time," he promised.

Just as the teen was about to dash out the door Mr. Derby's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Tyler one more screw up and I'm afraid I'll have to fire you," he said sternly.

Ty sent his employer a thumbs up to show he understood before dashing out the door to take his place behind the counter. The boy strutted out into the store, keeping his head up and shoulders back his attitude screaming, 'Yeah I work at a Movie Store and yes I'm dressed in the dumbest looking vest ever created but I can still kick your butt.'

Ty plopped down in his seat behind the counter and proceeded to pull out his mp3 and stick in his ear buds. Loud rock music boomed out of the tiny device and Tyler propped his feet up on the counter.

_Ah,_ _time for the healing powers of ACDC,_ he thought in content. Just as he was starting to relax he felt someone tap on his boots. The boy really thought about ignoring the customer, but a few seconds later the tapping increased. Ty groaned and cracked his eyes open, an annoyed scowl creasing his forehead.

Staring down at him, with an equally annoyed scowl, was a teenage girl dressed in all black with short black hair, Ty recognized her as the girl from lunch. The blond teen gave a long suffering sigh and stood up pulling out his ear buds. "Can I help you?" He asked in a monotone voice that just screamed, 'this is so not worth 7.50 an hour.'

The girl rolled her eyes, recognizing his smart ass tone immediately. "Yeah can you help me find something?" She said politely, although it didn't sound all that polite.

Tyler matched the girls' annoyed expression and came around the counter mumbling, "What do you need to find?"

"Buckets of Blood," the Goth answered quickly. Ty raised an eyebrow at the title but after looking the girl up and down he figured it wasn't all that strange. With a shrug the boy took off in the direction of the horror movies, grumbling angrily to himself. The teen disappeared around the side of a movie stand and read through the titles of the movies.

_Vampire's Revenge, Werewolves and Warlocks, Bleeding Hearts, Happy Panda Sing Along?_ He picked up the video staring at it dumbly, "How did this get in here?"

He mumbled in annoyance as he stuck the video in its correct spot. After a few minutes of searching the teen finally found the video he'd been looking for and pulled it out with a triumphant grin, _Now I can get back to sleep, er work._

"Hey did you find it," the girl shouted impatiently from the counter.

Tyler cringed and turned his head shouting back, "Yeah just hold on!" Ty looked back at the video in his hand to make sure it was the right one, and gasped in disbelief. His arm was gone!

Ty half shouted in surprise and half squealed in terror as he stumbled back into one of the rows of movies and sent it tumbling into the next row. The boy landed on his butt for the second time that day, while the movie filled shelves fell around him in a domino like effect. Once the last shelf fell to the ground Tyler looked around his mouth open in shock. He took one last glance at his hand and was happy to see that it was in fact still there along with the movie he had gotten for the girl.

Just then a pair of feet stepped into the teens' line of vision. Ty tentatively lifted his head, a sheepish grin sliding across his face. Mr. Derby stood at the edge of the disaster zone looking down right shocked; that is until he locked eyes with Tyler. The older mans' expression quickly grew dark. "Tyler what happened in here?" The man snarled outraged.

The boy jumped to his feet, keeping his arm behind his back, just in case, and stuttered, "M…Mr. D it was an accident I was getting a movie for this girl and I tripped and-." His employer held up a hand signaling for him to stop.

"I told you one more screw up," Mr. Derby started threateningly.

Ty interrupted him sounding desperate, "Please Mr. Derby it wasn't my fault." The man looked unperturbed, "I really need this job," Ty pleaded.

The man sent him an unsympathetic glare and shouted, "You're fired!" before stalking out of the room.

The teen watched him leave, his jaw set in a fine line. He couldn't believe how unfair the man was being. Ty glanced around at the destroyed store, noticing that most of the movies were either broken or scattered across the floor.

But for once it really wasn't his fault! He pulled his arm out from behind his back and glared at it. _What_ _happened it was there and then it was gone, did I just imagine it._ He didn't see how; people don't just imagine that their arms are gone and then they disappear. Ty put a hand up to his head, suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him. He blinked several times until his vision returned to normal.

_What's wrong with me,_ Tyler thought fearfully, staring at his palms with wide frightened eyes.

"Are you alright," a tentative voice spoke up from a few feet away from Ty.

The boy jerked his head up to see the Gothic girl watching him anxiously. Tyler lowered his head murmuring too quiet for the girl to hear, "Am I alright?"

He continued to stare at his hands fearfully. The teen had no answer and he didn't expect to get one so he cleared his throat, forcing away the fear rising in his chest. When Tyler answered his voice showed none of his inner uncertainty, "Yeah." He held up the movie, "Here let me check this out for you as my last act of servitude," he said with a small forced grin.

Not giving the girl a chance to object he scanned the movie and handed it to her, "That's due back the 18th" he informed her. The girl looked him over carefully, the boy didn't act like anything was bothering him, but when she looked into his light brown eyes she could see anxiousness and….fear?

Sam reluctantly took the video out of the other teen's hand, still eyeing him. She turned to leave, but spun around a few steps from the exit. "Look," she started, but was interrupted by Ty.

The blond haired boy had his back facing Sam when he asked quietly, "You still here?" His good humored voice tinged with bitterness.

Sam stalked around the counter until she was face to face with Ty. "Look," she glanced at his nametag. "Tyler, I'm sure if you just talk to your boss everything will work out," she reasoned.

Tyler smirked at her as he pulled off his vest, "Trust me on this one girlie, talking ain't gonna do me any good."

Sam, her hands on her hips, rose an eyebrow, "Ok first off my names not girlie it's Sam," she stated annoyed. "Second, if reasoning with your boss won't work then what are you going to do," the girl couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the Tyler's sudden unemployment.

The only response Ty had was to lift one shoulder in a half shrug, before he slipped his backpack on. Sam saw him make a move for the exit and dove in front of him.

The blond looked stunned for a moment before smiling crookedly. "Look, if you're this desperate to spend more time with me there's a café around the corner," he stated sarcastically.

Sam scoffed, wondering not for the first time, why she was trying to help the boy in front of her. "Believe me you aren't my type," she told him. "I just think that you're a somewhat nice guy who is now jobless and who obviously needs one."

Tyler sighed as he thought, _what is with these chicks today?_ He shook his head, face showing amusement. "Well it was kinda your fault," he admitted tilting his head in a bored fashion. He was rewarded with another angry glare from Sam.

"Ok fine I was going to recommend a restaurant that just so happens to be looking for a new dishwasher. But I guess you wouldn't be interested so I'll just be going," she said, making her way towards the door. Before she had taken two steps Ty grabbed her arm gently.

Sam turned to him raising an eyebrow, "Can I help you?" She asked, feigning innocence.

The boy lowered his head, annoyed at what he was about to do. "Sam, was it?" The girl nodded inviting him to continue, "If you know someway to help my current situation I would love to hear it," he said.

Sam looked him up and down a small satisfied smirk on her face. She uncrossed her arms and said, "Since you asked so politely I'll tell you. The restaurant is a fancy Italian place called Bertucci's," she informed him.

Tyler nodded thoughtfully releasing the girls' arm. "Thanks," He said curtly, scooting around her so he was standing in the exit. The teen opened the door sending the girl one last smug grin, "Even though it was pretty much your fault." He couldn't help but sneer, before disappearing out the door. Sam glared after him, having the sudden urge to throttle someone, particularly a certain blonde haired smart ass.

"He better hope I don't see him again," the girl muttered before exited the store as well and heading for home.

And that would be the 2nd chapter of The Golden Ghost Redone! And let me tell ya this was a seriously hard chappie to write so I hope it turned out good. Like I said earlier if you've got any ideas for an alter ego name for Ty feel free to leave it in a review. I'm all ears; or eyes as it were. The next chapter will be way faster than this one, so get ready. Well other than that not really any announcements except thanks to all of you who reviewed!


	3. Bad Moon Rising

First off I would like to thank you all for the support and your awesome reviews! And second I hope you enjoy this next chappie.

--Edited as of June 2008--

Review thanks to: ArmoredSoul, PunkMichPhantom, ShadowWolf123, and pottersparky! Rock On.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and not me.

Chapter 3: Bad Moon Rising

Tyler walked as fast as he could, away from his former workplace. He kept his blurry vision focused on the sidewalk below him, as it swam in and out of focus every few steps. The boy couldn't, for the life of him, understand why he was suddenly feeling nauseas and having an extremely horrible headache. Ty stopped and leaned against the side of a building at feeling his chest tighten, making it harder for him to breathe.

He put a hand up to his sweaty forehead, feeling on the verge of barfing. _What's wrong with me_, the teen thought fearfully, at seeing his hand change from one to three. Ty let out a quiet moan as he closed his now golden eyes. The teen nearly yelped in surprise when images started flashing across his closed eyelids moving faster and faster.

_He saw a strand of D.N.A being coated in a glob of green goop_…Ty clenched his fists his head pounding. _The image was quickly replaced with, the black haired girl Sam standing with her hands on her hips a scowl creasing her forehead…_Before he could stop to think about it the image changed. _Danny Phantom floating with his hands glowing green a fierce glare on his abnormally pale face…next a strange vampire looking ghost with glowing red eyes and spiky black hair. The ghost had a sinister grin on his face as he brandished a large needle in his gloved hand…_Thefinal image lasted the longest andwas definitely the strangest_._ _He saw a large round metal structure built into a wall; in the center was swirling green energy. Which cast an eerie glow across the dark room where it was built…_With one last pained groan the images swirled away leaving darkness behind.

Tyler blearily opened his eyes to find he had sunk to the ground clutching his head in agony. A heavy set man with a beard was leaning over the teenager looking very concerned.

"Hey, you alright kid?" The man asked anxiously.

The boys' common sense shouted at him that no, he was not all right, but he forced the nagging voice away. He placed a forced smile on his lips and answered, "Yeah just taking a little nap." The man looked unconvinced.

"Are you sure?"

Tyler sent him thumbs up, "Yep never felt better." He lied smoothly. With one last disbelieving look the man turned and walked away, not hearing the boys' sigh of relief, that turned into a sharp intake of breath as white hot pain lanced through his skull once more.

"Ugh, like this day couldn't get any worse," the boy whimpered his voice tight with pain. Forcing his aching limbs to move, Ty pulled himself to his feet and continued his unsteady walk home.

_Should I go home, or find mom? She is a nurse; maybe she could figure out what's wrong with me._ The teen shook the last thought from his mind; there was no way he could burden his mother with another problem. Just as the blond thought that, he saw his right hand waver from sight as if it were under water. Upon seeing this impossible feat he broke into a dead sprint the last few blocks to his house.

He clomped up the stoop breathing heavily, his chest heaving with every breath. The teen pulled out his keys in his shaking hands, and desperately tried to find the right key.

"Come on, come on dammit!" The boy cursed roughly, finally finding the correct key he slipped it into the lock and flung the door open. Tyler practically collapsed onto the couch once inside, as he held his pounding head in his hands, moaning quietly. Every time he closed his eyes the same images would swirl in front of him, moving too fast to make out.

The teen arched his back at suddenly feeling intense cold rush up his spine._ I know that feeling_, he thought in fright as more icy tendrils crept through his body. Tyler's lengthy frame shook uncontrollably, his ragged breathing echoing throughout the silent house. The blond haired boy prayed silently for the pain to stop, he had never felt anything this bad in his life before.

Just when he thought he could take no more, the dark room was suddenly brightened with a flash of blood red light. As suddenly as the pain had come, it lessened to a dull throb. Ty hesitantly cracked his eyes open, if he had been able to see himself he probably would have screamed.

The boys once brown eyes were now completely gold, giving him a scary demon-like appearance. While his dirty blonde hair had changed to a matching glowing gold that stuck up in spiky clumps. Also sitting atop his head, was a pair of fluorescent orange goggles. The boys' clothing had also changed; he was now wearing a pair of baggy dark blue camouflage pants with light blue and gray patterns, and a black belt.

He wore two black boots that reached up to his shins. And a tight fitting short sleeved shirt, in a dark blue color matching his pants, the shirts collar was black, with more black slashes running down his sides. On his hands the teen had dark black fingerless gloves. Not only that but his skin had taken on a sickly blue color; rather than his normal dark tan color.

The now, ghostly looking teen, sat up a confused expression on his light blue face. "What the heck?" The boy held up his gloved hand staring at it intently; then he noticed that his arm was giving off a light blue shine. _When did I get gloves_, he mentally questioned.

Tyler paused clearly thinking over what he'd just thought before he jumped to his feet eyes wide. "Wait a minute my arms' blue!" Tyler shouted panic stricken. He raced for the bathroom, but once he saw his reflection he froze. What was staring back at him couldn't possibly be Ty, could it? This thing didn't even look human, let alone the rebellious and slightly trouble prone teenage boy. Ty waved his hand in front of the mirror, and regretfully the ghost copied his movements.

_Oh god that thing is me! But I'm not dead, right? I mean I'm breathing_, he took a couple of deep breaths just to make sure. Then he reached over and pinched his arm, releasing a quiet yelp when he squeezed just a little too hard. _Ok so that hurt, but what does that mean?_ The teen rubbed his sore arm, gazing into his golden eyes and getting slightly creeped out in the process. He took a deep breath, settling on one more 'I'm alive' test. He slapped himself across the cheek, rather hard, and had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting.

"Alright I'm pretty sure I'm not dead," he mumbled rubbing his now sore cheek. Ty turned away from his reflection, not able to stand looking at it any longer, and stumbled into the living room. The boy suddenly felt his feet rise of the ground and float into the air. He grabbed onto the arm of the couch, as his lower body rose above his head.

"Jesus," he cried clutching onto the arm of the couch for dear life. He yelped in fright, when his hand suddenly went transparent and slipped through the couch! "

Ahh!" the teen cried as he floated up toward the ceiling. _The great beyond is trying to pull me in_! Tyler waved his arms madly through the air, in paddle like motions, desperately trying to keep himself as far away from "the great beyond" as possible. Tyler attempted to swim through the air and head for the ground, but only succeeding in looking like an idiot, because he didn't move an inch.

_No I don't want to go! I haven't even seen Dead Teacher IV yet!_ Just as the boy lost all hope for returning to the ground he felt a strange shift in the pit of his stomach; like that odd sensation people get when they fall from high places. Tyler had just enough time to think, _crap_, before he dropped painfully onto the wooden floor.

A pained cry escaped the boys' lips, as he cracked his already throbbing head on the floor. He lay, stunned for several minutes before crawling to the couch and pulling himself back to a standing position. As he stood, his ghostly hand brushed against something cold and clammy.

Tyler instantly recoiled, expecting the worse, but what he saw nearly made him faint right on the spot. He was looking at himself, except it didn't exactly look like him. The human boy lay sprawled across the couch his entire body seemed to be cast in shadows.

_How is this possible? Am I dead or what?_ Ty reached out a hesitant hand and touched his extremely pale "body". Instantly a flash of red light lit up the room, Ty tried to back away, but he felt himself being pulled back into his human self. Once the light died down, only one person remained in the room: a blond haired boy lying unconscious on the couch.

--

The next thing Tyler knew he was opening his eyes to find himself lying on the couch curled into a fetal position. Light shone through the open windows, and he could distinctly hear birds tweeting outside. Tyler jumped off the couch, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. In a matter of seconds he ran back into the bathroom and sighed in relief. He saw his normal light brown eyes and short dirty blond hair, no blue skin, no gold eyes, and no glowing hair.

"What the hell happened last night?" The boy ran his gloveless hand through his short hair in confusion. He wasn't sure if what had happened was all some really messed up dream, or a sick reality. For his own sanity, the teen decided to go with the explanation that it was a bad dream and leave it at that. Pushing all events from last night, from his mind Ty headed upstairs and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a black t-shirt.

When he came back down he grabbed an energy bar from the pantry. As usual his mother had already left for work; if she had even come home last night, and the boy was alone. Tyler casually glanced at the clock which read 8:09. He had about six minutes before he was late for school.

_If I get another tardy, that'll make it twenty-five. A new record! Just above the normal "good student" level, but below the big trouble level._ Chuckling at the joke, Tyler grabbed his backpack off the floor and slumped out the door locking it behind him. He knew he should have cared that he was going to be late again, but for some reason it didn't seem all that important. On the way to Casper High, Tyler kept glancing at his hands expecting them to become transparent at any moment. No matter how bad he wanted to forget what had happened, he just couldn't. It was like a bad penny, it just kept popping back up.

An exasperated sigh left the boy as he rounded a corner. He couldn't believe he was even entertaining the idea that he was getting super powers. _And they weren't even helpful super powers either_. Ty couldn't help but shudder at remembrance of his pale lifeless body lying across the couch.

The blond haired teen was pulled from his inner musings by the sound of an ear piercing scream. Tyler looked up, startled, to see another ghost floating over an electronics store; cackling madly.

"**Ha-ha, I Technus Master of all things mechanical, have finally found a way to-" **The ghost was cut off from his rambling by the sudden appearance of Danny Phantom, who wasted no time in blasting the unsuspecting ghost into a wall.

"Really get on peoples' nerves," Phantom droned in a bored tone. He crossed his arms in annoyance. Technus recovered quickly, and flew back up to meet the ghost boy.

"**You,**" he shouted pointing an accusing finger at the white haired ghost. "What are you doing here ghost child?"

Phantom tilted his head in a bored manner, "Technus can we please hurry this up? I gotta be somewhere."

Just as Technus geared up for another long and pointless speech, Phantom sucked him into the thermos from before. The ghost teen rolled his eyes at the device; before flying off in the direction of Casper High? Tyler dashed after the ghost, curious as to why he was heading for the school; which was about a block over. He came to the front of the school and found that it was deserted, all of the students already inside.

Ty looked around for the ghost teen but saw no trace of him. With a confused shrug he abandoned his search and walked slowly into the dreaded high school. _Phantom is so lucky, yeah he has to fight ghosts all the time, but at least he doesn't have to go to school._

The blond walked casually into his 1st period class with about ten minutes left in the period. This just happened to be Mr. Lancer's class, one of the strictest teachers in the whole school! Mr. Lancer looked up from grading papers as the boy walked in.

"Mr. Matthews running a bit late again aren't we?" The teacher questioned in a knowing way.

Tyler sent the man a sly smile before answering. "Yeah, you see what happened was on my way here I was suddenly attacked by this giant evil ghost!" The teen walked to the front of the room, to recount the tale he had just made up. "You should have seen it, it had bright burning red eyes," he went on his voice low and dramatic.

"Ectoplasm, dripping from its' sharp canine like teeth," he made fang motions under his mouth, with his fingers. The students were leaning forward in their seats, anxious to hear more of the story. "The thing had me backed up into a corner, practically drooling with glee. Just when I thought I was a goner, Danny Phantom swooped in."

At this Tyler struck a heroic pose and said in, what he thought was Phantoms' voice continued the tale. "Phantom shouted, leave that innocent law abiding student alone! I managed to duck away from the two fighting ghosts and watch from a safe distance. Phantom was easily winning the fight that is until the red eyed ghost threw a handful of dirt into his eyes!" At this some of the students booed, and pointing their thumbs down.

Tyler acknowledged their annoyance and decided to come to the climatic ending soon. "Danny Phantom fell from the sky, rubbing painfully at his burning eyes. I saw that our ghostly hero had dropped something as he fell, and picked it up. It was a thermos? The large brutish ghost jumped on top of Phantom, attempting to bite his head off. But somehow he managed to shout, 'use the thermos', at me. At first I had no idea what he was talking about, until I found a green button on the side of the device.

"And I, being the inquisitive genius that I am, aimed and fired at the ghost attacking Phantom. Amazingly the ghost was sucked into the cylindrical device, and I put the cap back on just to be safe. Phantom pulled himself off the ground and approached me. He thanked me, many times, but I told him that I had to go to school because I didn't want to be late again. He offered to give me a lift, but I declined knowing that he probably had some important town hero issues to deal with."

Some of the students applauded and cheered, while others whistled in delight. Tyler bowed several times, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

Tyler finished bowing and turned to Mr. Lancer. "So you see that is why I was late this morning," he explained with finesse.

The teacher sighed deeply and glanced at the clock. His student had somehow managed to waste 9 ½ minutes on his obviously made up excuse. Mr. Lancer opened his mouth to inform Tyler that he had detention, but was interrupted by the bell signaling the end of class.

Without hesitation, Ty shot out the door, followed by the rest of his classmates. Mr. Lancer stared after them, a scowl creasing his forehead. Sometimes he really hated his job.

Yeah, kinda short but this was more of a filler than anything else. Now I want to clear up a few things, SO READ THIS NEXT PART!

1: Tyler does not go ghost like Danny. He does not look like Danny, and he does not act like Danny. Are we clear?

2: When Ty does "go ghost" he leaves his human body lifeless. What I mean is, while he's a ghost it's like he duplicated himself. But that is not the case; this will be explained in later chapters. Possibly the next one!

3: I am grounded from the computer because I have a bad grade in Geometry. (Is a 75 really that bad?) So I sadly will not be updating soon. Don't blame me, blame my parents.

That's about it, if you have any questions feel free to leave me PM, or a review. I'll be happy to clear them up! Until next time, this is Mutantlover signing off**.**


	4. Ghostly Behavior?

As I said on my profile page my parents let me off the hook and I'm free to be on the computer again, yeah! Oh you should totally check out my profile by the way, I added some of my favorite quotes at the bottom. Anyway I would like to thank ShadowWolf123 for giving me this idea (he rocks yeah!!)

--Edited as of June 2008--

Review thanks to: ArmoredSoul, pottersparky, Shining Zephyr, PunkMichPhantom, and ShadowWolf123!

Chapter 4: Ghostly Behavior?

Unfortunately for Tyler as the day wore on the same symptoms from the night before got worse and worse. The boy had practically passed out through his first four classes, and was currently eating lunch. Or rather attempting to eat lunch. His blurry vision was showing him three forks, instead of the one he picked up, floating around his plate.

He reached for one of the spinning forks, only to grab a handful of air. Ty muttered a tired curse, before giving up and dropping his head onto the table. _What's going on? I thought what happened last night was a dream…but I guess it wasn't._ The boy's stomach grumbled and Tyler sighed lifting his head weakly off the table; he made a grab for the fork again. And finally managed to snag it on the first try and scoop up a forkful of corn.

Grinning in triumph, the boy leveled the utensil in front of his mouth. But just as he was about to take a bite, the fork disappeared! Ty froze, staring open mouthed at….well nothing. Tyler reached a hand out and grabbed another student by the shirt he forcefully dragged him to his side.

"Is there a fork in my hand?" Ty questioned fearfully, before the other teen could protest.

The brown haired boy stared confused at Tyler before answering, "Uh no." When Ty didn't respond the boy walked away muttering, "Freak," under his breath.

_Ok, either I'm completely insane or something weird is going on._ Ty examined his hand closely, and jumped when his fork suddenly materialized in his grasp. He instantly dropped it and jumped from his seat, his breaths coming in quick pants as his heart rate increased.

"This isn't happening," he whispered frightened. Suddenly the boys' hands started to flicker in and out of visibility. Ty yelped in shock, before jamming his hands in his pockets and dashing out of the cafeteria. He stumbled into the bathroom, his vision suddenly darkening around the edges making it hard for him to see.

He grasped the side of the sink and stared pain stricken at his reflection. He was extremely pale, and his brown eyes were flashing gold. _This isn't happening_…freezing cold swept up the boy's spine…_this can't be happening!_ The next thing Ty knew a flash of red light lit up the bathroom and he was left staring at his reflection from the night before.

Tyler could only stare in horror as he lifted a shaky hand to his light blue face. He dared to glance down and saw his human body lying unmoving on the floor. He swallowed nervously as he bent down to check "his body's" pulse. After a few minutes of searching the only sign of life he found was a very faint thump.

"This is so messed up!" The ghostly teen whispered frantically standing back up. Ty gasped when he heard the door to the bathroom slam open, someone was coming in! The boy whipped his head around, desperately searching for a place to hide. He dived into a stall before smacking his forehead.

_I can't just live my body out there!_ Tyler dove back out of the stall and snatched up his lifeless body. Amazingly he was able to lift it with ease and prop it up so it looked like he was standing up relieving himself.

Ty stood beside his body holding it up with his shoulder. He could only pray that whoever came in was either blind, or a complete idiot. _Oh please be Dash…please be Dash…please, please, please._ It seemed fate was on his side for once, because Dash was in fact the person who came around the corner. Tyler kept his head down as the blond haired jock came to stand on the other side of "his body."

For some reason Dash didn't seem to notice the glowing blue skinned teen, but he did eye Tyler's body that was slumped forward with his head leaning against the wall. If Ty had been able to see himself he would have noticed that he was invisible and his lifeless body looked to be standing on his own.

"Hey are you okay?" Dash asked.

Tyler cringed and turned his head away, still not knowing that he was invisible, and muttered. "Uh yeah just a little tired." Luckily Dash wasn't very observant so he didn't notice that Ty' mouth didn't move as he talked.

The jock shrugged as he headed for the exit, "Ok man, see you."

Tyler sighed when he heard the door slam shut and he stepped away from "his body." But as soon as he did it fell unceremoniously to the floor cracking its head along the way. Tyler grabbed the back of his head as pain shot through his skull, in the exact same spot his body had just hit.

Tyler looked down at "his body" in astonishment. Where its head had hit pain was now throbbing through his skull. _Wait does that mean…_Tyler bent down next to "his body" and flicked it across the nose. Instantly he recoiled holding his own blue nose, _oh shit! That means whatever happens to my body happens to me!_ The teen realized in horror falling onto his caboose with a look of pure terror on his face.

"How could this get any worse?" Ty asked looking toward the sky. _Maybe this is some kind of joke, yeah that's it I'm getting Punk'd, or maybe I'm on Scaretactics. _The boy nodded vigorously looking around in preparation for Ashton Kutcher to jump out smiling goofily.

"Wait," the teen paused. "I'm not famous, and I don't have any friends to get me on that show!" Tyler lifted his gloved hand up inspecting it critically, it faded into transparency and he could see the floor right through the flesh and bone.

Tyler nodded, "Scaretactics isn't that convincing." The teen put his hand to the floor, and it instantly went right through. He pulled his hand back just as it returned to visibility, Ty sighed in relief, running a hand through his spiky golden hair. With another resigned sigh he stood glancing wearily around the empty bathroom.

"Well, this day couldn't get any worse," Ty mumbled quietly. He was pulled from his thoughts by the appearance of another ghost, looking pretty annoyed himself. The other ghost had snow white hair and green eyes, Tyler stiffened mouth agape, "Phantom?" he croaked.

The teen ghost narrowed his eyes at Ty before his gaze drifted to the figure lying lifeless on the ground. A look of rage crossed Phantom's face, "Attacking innocent people huh? Now I won't feel bad about kicking your butt." Phantom growled his hands starting to glow with the same green energy as his eyes.

"Wait, wait," Ty shouted throwing up his hands. But unfortunately Phantom thought that Ty was moving to attack him so he attacked first, by blasting Tyler in the chest with a charged ecto-beam.

The golden haired teen cried out as he was blown off his feet and into the far wall. Amazingly, instead of feeling his back collide with the wall, Ty felt a tingly sensation pass through his entire body and he phased harmlessly through the bathroom wall. His relief didn't last long because he crashed into a chemistry lab…packed with students…who took one look at him, before screaming and running away in terror.

Ty sat up rubbing his extremely sore head, he did not like where this was going. If only he could change back into human. But he didn't know how!

Just as the last student disappeared out the door, Phantom phased into the room; looking very, very angry. Before Tyler could defend himself, Phantom came at him catching Ty in the jaw with a strong uppercut. He was sent flipping over a lab table, smashing into beakers and hotplates along the way. As he crashed to the ground glass smashing around him, Phantom floated over him, his thermos out and ready.

"Wait a minute!" Tyler started in a vain attempt to defend himself; but the teen hero didn't want to hear any of it. Without hesitation he pressed the green button on the thermos and Tyler was forcefully sucked inside. "Ahh," he screamed as the swirling light died down leaving only Phantom in the room.

Tyler felt crushed; he was practically bent over backwards in the impossibly tiny and dark space that he knew was Phantom's thermos. "I stand corrected, this day can get worse." Ty grunted trying desperately to move and failing.

_How is this even possible?! I mean seriously the thermos is so tiny how in the heck did I even get in here?_ The boys' furious thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the thermos started to shake back and forth. Tyler's head was thrown into the metal walls several times before the shaking ceased, and he was left moaning over his badly beaten skull.

A deep voice echoed throughout the darkness, "I hope you're having fun in there." Ty could distinctly here Phantom chuckle at the end of his statement, and he growled in his throat.

"I thought you were supposed to be the good guy!" Tyler shouted his fear and anger bubbling over, "I didn't even do anything!"

Phantom, who was currently flying at high speeds back to FentonWorks, didn't respond. This ghost didn't act like all the others he'd fought before, he hadn't even fought back? Danny shook his head pushing away his troublesome thoughts; his job was to send ghosts back to the Ghost Zone. And that was what he intended to do.

After landing invisibly in his parents' basement he walked slowly to the Portal. Danny gave the thermos one last uncertain glance before his gaze hardened and he injected the captured ghost into the Ghost Zone. _I better get back to school, that kids' going to need some help._ Phantom turned on his heel and flew back to Casper High, not giving the ghost another thought.

Meanwhile, Tyler floated helplessly in an infinite green void. Tortured wails and howls of agony reached his ears, and glowing doors floated around him. He spun around when a dark presence passed behind him and he barely caught a glimpse of a shadow ghost flying purposefully towards a floating island before it was gone. Several more strange looking ghosts flew past Tyler, not even sparing him a glance, before disappearing in some unknown direction.

Tyler forced himself to remain calm, and tried to focus his jumbled thoughts. "Ok, ok just chill. There's got to be a way out of here. I mean if I got in I can get out, and it really isn't that bad in here." The boy looked around at this his blue face turning a little pale when he saw an enormous dragon ghost snarling at him, its extremely large tail twitching in annoyance.

"Scratch that," Ty squeaked before flying off as fast as he could. Which wasn't very fast, by the way.

The dragon ghost growled one last time before pursuing the fleeing ghost teen. Ty veered around several floating doors, just barely managing to avoid them with his face intact. He hurtled towards a group of green ghosts, shouting a warning. They took one look at him, saw the dragon following him in hot pursuit, and as one they scattered. Tyler didn't know how fast he was going and really didn't care; all he cared about was getting away from the crazy dragon with his limbs attached.

The boy cried out as the dragon swiped at him with its razor sharp claw. It raked down his leg, slicing his pants before ripping through his skin. Ty forced away the throbbing pain in his leg, and sped up. At the end of his rope, Tyler reached for a random door and ducked into it slamming it behind him.

He floated with his palms on the door, breathing heavily for several seconds until the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He spun around once more to see the ghost Technus…taking a shower? Ty turned back around covering his eyes, "**Eww** **I will never be able to unsee this**!" He shouted as if in pain and stumbled back out the door.

Once back in the Ghost Zone, Tyler rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to get the image out of his mind. _So wrong, that was so wrong_, Ty shivered finally able to push the image away. Though he was sure he would be scarred for life after this little adventure.

He froze at hearing the sound of low gravelly voices coming from somewhere behind him. Curiosity nagging at him he followed the sound of the voices, floating as quietly as possible. Tyler came around the side of a large metal door but immediately ducked back behind it. Very slowly he peeked his head around the door to see Skulker floating several feet away from his hiding spot. He was talking to another ghost with blue skin and spiky black hair, Tyler vaguely remembered him from somewhere but he couldn't remember exactly where.

"I'm sorry sir, but I've never seen the item you speak of." Skulker rumbled looking regretful.

The other ghost shook his head in annoyance. "You're positive?"

Skulker nodded, "If I here of something I'll be sure to inform you." The metallic ghost said, getting as close to apologetic as possible for him.

The blue skinned ghost sighed turning away from his companion. "Alright Skulker I'll be off then."

Tyler released a quiet sigh, happy to see the caped ghost leave. For some reason he got bad vibes from him. He was so intent on watching the other ghost leave that he didn't notice as Skulker disappeared from sight. Only to reappear behind Ty!

With a sinister grin Skulker grabbed Ty by the collar of his jumpsuit. The boy yelped in shock, but since he was being half strangled it came out as more of a garbled scream.

The large hunter ghost easily lifted Tyler up to eye level, savoring the look of fear that crossed the boys' face. "Eavesdropping on the Ghost Zones' Greatest Hunter is not a wise thing to do child."

Tyler visibly shivered at the menace dripping off of Skulker's words. Suddenly the blue skinned ghost appeared in front of Skulker looking intrigued.

"Who is that Skulker?" The ghost questioned sounding half annoyed and half interested.

"I don't know," Skulker mumbled glaring at his P.D.A again. "This is the second time this device has malfunctioned?" The metallic ghost looked up at Ty with a scrutinizing gaze that made the boy shiver. After a few moments Skulker's eyebrows shot up, "You're the human child that captured me with the thermos!"

Ty shook his head quickly, "Ha that's a good one! Me a human, funny." He broke into a very forced fit of laughter, but stopped when a large cannon popped out of Skulker's shoulder, aiming right at his face.

"I'll teach you to mess with the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter!" Skulker growled, preparing to fire.

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut, again, waiting for the end. But luckily for him a deep voice echoed, "**Time out!**" just before Skulker released his attack.

Ty opened his eyes slowly when he felt something slide around his neck. It turned out to be a strange necklace shaped somewhat like a gear with a W over a C written in blue letters across the face of it. "It seems you can't keep out of trouble Tyler," the deep voice rasped.

Ty looked up to see another blue skinned ghost dressed in a purple cloak, the hood was pulled up so only the ghosts red eyes and scar was showing. He seemed to have a grandfather clock built into his midsection and he held a staff with a clock on the top. The ghost looked to be around twenty or so, but as Ty watched he changed into a young child dressed exactly the same way.

Tyler looked to Skulker, wondering why he hadn't said anything yet. The hunter ghost was frozen in place, an angry sneer on his robotic face. The boy looked over to the spiky haired ghost to see he was frozen also, his arms crossed over his broad chest in annoyance.

"Uh…how do you know my name?" Ty asked, still gazing at the frozen figures.

The cloaked ghost chuckled quietly, changing once more into an older version with a long white beard. "My name is Clockwork and I will answer all your questions, but not here."

Tyler pulled himself out of the frozen Skulker's grasp, rubbing his sore throat. "Then where?"

Clockwork chuckled knowingly, raising finger over his staff. "You'll see." With that he pressed the button and the two disappeared, Clockworks voice echoing, "**Time in**," as they went. Instantly Skulker and Plasmius unfroze both blinking dumbly at Skulker's empty fist.

"Or not," Vlad joked. He grinned, amused by the look of rage on the hunter ghosts' face as he angrily retracted his ecto cannon. Plasmius rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Skulker did you say that, that ghost was a human?"

Skulker, still grumbling over his lost quarry, answered his employer. "Yes, I'm quite sure it was him," the hunter stared at Vlad, noticing the mischievous glint in his red eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Plasmius waved him off, smiling evilly. "It's nothing Skulker be sure to send word if you hear anything about the item I seek, until then, Ta!" The half ghost disappeared in a puff of smoke before Skulker could object, leaving him to mumble angrily to himself.

-Does a little dance-, yes I've been waiting to use Vlad's line for like EVER! (In case you don't know it's Ta). And yes I would like to thank ShadowWolf123 again for giving me the idea for this chapter, all hail ShadowWolf and his wonderfully evil imagination. Seriously Thank You! Anyway I hope this chappie was satisfying and I will try my best to make the next one soon. Until next time my wonderful readers (cough-mostly reviewers-cough-cough)


	5. Origins

WHOA! I got a lot of reviews for the last chapter. Thanks you guys & gals out there, you make me feel so special. Hugs for all!

--Edited as of June, 2008--

Review thanks to: FlyingShadow666, Digimonfan, ArmoredSoul, ShadowWolf123…er I mean ShadowFox123, and pottersparky!

Chapter 5: Origins

A flash of light lit up Clockwork's tower, deep within the Ghost Zone and the Master of Time himself appeared followed closely by a confused looking teenager. Tyler blinked dumbly, taking in the ghosts' home, or haunt, or whatever.

There were giant ticking clocks everywhere! Not to mention the only light was coming from several floating mirrors that seemed to be filled with a strange green liquid. He was so busy looking around he didn't notice that Clockwork had already exited the room and was waiting patiently for the boy to notice. After several moments Ty looked around for his savor and upon not seeing him, he started to get nervous.

_What if this Clockwork guy is worse than Skulker?! What if he just saved me so he could get me to his pad and kill me himself? Or worse eat me! Wait a minute do ghosts' eat?_

"Are you coming or not?" Ty jumped and spun around to see Clockwork watching him calmly before floating out of the room once more. Not wanting to be left behind in the creepy ticking room, the boy followed him, somewhat warily. He followed the time ghost to a room with a small round table positioned in front of a floating portal like mirror.

Clockwork gestured for Tyler to sit and he did, eyeing the ghost the entire way. Clockwork chuckled, "You needn't worry Tyler I am not going to hurt you."

Ty tilted his head to the side, confused. "I never said you were going to," he objected.

"But you were thinking it."

The boys' eyes widened a tiny bit, amazed that the ghost seemed to be able to read minds. _I don't know if I should be impressed or creeped out. _He decided not to push the issue and instead changed the subject. "Um…Clockwork what's with all the clocks? Do you collect them or something?"

Clockwork fiddled absentmindedly with his staff, not seeming to take the question seriously. "Well, to put it simply I am the Master of Time, so it pretty much speaks for itself."

Ty looked at him skeptically one eyebrow rose as if to say 'are you serious?' The ghost sighed and muttered half to himself, "Teenagers." He spoke again his voice louder, "You can either believe me or not that is your decision, but you saw what I did to your friend Skulker correct?"

Tyler nodded and shrugged, "Yeah…which was pretty cool by the way, thanks."

"You're welcome." Was all Clockwork said.

"Ok so next question, why did you save me? I mean you could have easily just let Skulker kick my butt."

"Well, Tyler it is a long story so you might as well get comfortable, and please do not interrupt even though I know you're going to. I'm sure that you have started to notice a sudden change in your being, strange occurrences, and pounding headaches?" Ty nodded but kept his mouth firmly closed. "This is because of the incident that happened around a week ago with the mosquitoes, as you probably know once one entered your body it gave you ghostly abilities."

"Wait a minute, how do you know that? You weren't there, and unless you're stalking me there's no way you could know I'm having headaches." Tyler protested, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to interrupt.

Clockwork listened to his little tirade calmly, hiding the fact that he was slightly annoyed by the boys' refusal to listen. "I told you I am the Master of Time. And I _can_ see all things that happen, not only here but in the human world as well."

Tyler looked at him skeptically, "Right so if you're the Master of Time." He paused tapping his chin thoughtfully, "What did I have for breakfast this morning?"

The Time Ghost answered immediately, "An energy bar flavor peanut butter."

The boy's mouth gaped open, but he still argued with the ghost. "When's my birthday?"

"August 26, 1992."

"My mom's name?"

"Diane."

"What grade do I have in Algebra?" Ty asked meekly.

"Sixty-five, and you're going to have a quiz on Tuesday that you'll forget about before then. And you'll cram for it the period before."

Tyler bit his tongue in a thoughtful manner before grinning evilly. He stuck his hand behind his back holding up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He questioned triumphantly. There was no way the "Master of Time," could get this.

"Three." Clockwork answered. Ty changed the number to five and Clockwork immediately said, "Five." His grin falling away Ty changed the number one more time. "One, and don't think I don't know which one it is." Clockwork said frowning as well.

Tyler instantly put the finger down feeling frightened.

_Ok I guess he wasn't lying. Hm, I wonder if he knows where I put the T.V remote. That thing's been lost forever._ Clockwork's voice filtered into his thoughts sounding amused. "The remote is under the third sofa cushion farthest to the left."

Tyler stared at him with astonished eyes. "Ok I believe you. So you can see everything that has happened, is happening, and will eventually happen, right?"

Clockwork nodded, "May I continue?"

Tyler nodded, dazed. He couldn't believe that he was in the presence of such a powerful being. Or even the fact that such a being existed.

Clockwork continued watching the boy thoughtfully. "Fortunately for you and your classmates the mosquitoes did indeed leave your bodies, before they had time to drain you of your spectral energy and thus your life. And before you ask what spectral energy is, it is what is inside all living beings in the human world. It binds all things together and connects them to_ our_ world, or the Ghost Zone. This, as your people sometimes call it, is the soul."

Tyler closed his mouth that had been open in preparation to ask another question. _Wow Clockwork really does know everything, I didn't even say anything._

"Please continue," Ty said.

The cloaked ghost gave the barest hint of a smile before continuing his tale. "Yes, your mosquito did in fact leave your body, but before it did it infected your spectral energy. Or soul, if you wish to call it that. Thus creating what you are experiencing right now, the state called Soul Shadowing. But the true name for your kind is Shadowhunter." He eyed the boy and mentally counted down until he cracked, _five…four…three…two…one._

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Ty shouted, steam practically coming out of his ears from his brain working on overdrive. "My kind? What do you mean by my kind, and why is it called Shadowhunter and does that mean I'm a ghost?!"

Clockwork eyed him calmly, displaying infinite amounts of patience before answering. "I said your kind because you are no longer fully human, but you are also not fully ghost either. As for why your kind is called Shadowhunters you will have to figure that out for yourself."

"But what does that mean?" Ty couldn't help but interject, feeling like an impatient child begging for answers.

The Master of Time sighed. "Didn't I tell you not to interrupt?" He continued his calm expression returning, "It means, as I was about to explain, that you are a Shadowhunter. A creature stuck between both realms. You have abilities that no normal human has, but that does not make you completely ghost. To put it in simpler terms you are in some way a human with ghost powers."

Ty stared thoughtfully down at the stone table, a million emotions buzzing around his body, fear and uncertainty being the main ones. "So when you said my kind, there's been other like me?"

Clockwork nodded approvingly, "Observant," he complimented the boy. "Yes there has been at least one Shadowhunter for every generation dating back to ancient Egypt, but that is another story in and of itself. But you are the only Shadowhunter in this age although there might be a few somewhere in the Ghost Zone, but they are not friendly so do not go looking for them."

The teen, still examining the table, asked another question. "So the whole leaving my body thing is normal, right?"

"Yes," Clockwork nodded. "It is an unfortunate side-effect of your race, but eventually your body will adapt so you will be able to leave and re-enter your body whenever you choose. But until that time you must be extremely cautious, it can happen at anytime and anyplace. However, the more you practice the faster your body will adapt. "

Tyler lifted his sad eyes to the Time Ghost. He asked, his voice sounding choked with desperation, "Is there anyway to reverse the Soul Shadowing?" His hopes dropped as Clockworks' expression turned regretful. "Please Clockwork tell me there's a way, I don't want to be a Shadowhunter. I just want to be normal." He averted his gaze, returning to staring at the swirling patterns of the stone table, when he felt I strong hand on his shoulder.

Ty looked up to see the middle aged Clockwork. "Please, I don't want things to change," he murmured sounding very young.

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make of it."

Tyler smiled cynically, "Marcus Aurelius Antoninus." He said quietly keeping his head low, so he did not see Clockwork's approving gaze.

"To answer your last question no, once the process is complete there is no way to reverse it. You must learn to adapt to your new being, and I know you will." The Master of Time could not help but feel bad for the boy, he could only hope that he would stay on his destined path no matter how many twists and turns it took.

"Because you're the Master of Time," Ty said rolling his eyes sadly. He paused as if just noticing something and looked at Clockwork suspiciously. "If you knew where I was going to be in the Ghost Zone, and the exact time I was going to be there. Why didn't you save me before I got chased by that crazy dragon and threatened by Skulker?!"

Young Clockwork answered, "I am not allowed to interfere with the natural flow of time." The Time Ghost sent Tyler a mischievous grin, "And sometimes it's pretty fun to mess with people."

The boy couldn't help but grin as well, starting to like the all knowing ghost. Tyler stood up, arching his back in a stretch, his head was buzzing with all the information he'd just received making his mind feel fuzzy with fatigue. "It is time for you to go," Clockwork said.

"And where exactly do you propose I go?" Ty crossed his arms in annoyance. What did the ghost expect him to do walk all the way back to Amity Park?

Clockwork waved his time staff in front of the large viewing portal and instantly a scene appeared in the liquid-like screen. It showed Tyler's human body sitting in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors and nurses. Diane Matthews stood watching from outside the ring of hospital personnel, dressed in her own nurse get up. Her face was smeared with mascara around her eyes as if she'd been crying and had just recently calmed down.

Surprisingly she was joined by another girl, with bright red hair and a blue head band. Jasmine Fenton stood beside her brother, both looking very concerned. Ty couldn't help but crack a crooked grin;_ Yep she digs me,_ he mentally joked.

"The doctors think you've fallen into a coma, but we both know that is not the case." Clockwork saw that Tyler was about to ask another question and blurted out the answer before he could. "This state has no name, so you may call it whatever you wish but it is very permanent. It happens to all Shadowhunters, you just have to learn to hide your body carefully before your Spectral form leaves it."

Tyler nodded thoughtfully taking in all the information as best he could. Another idea popped into his mind and without hesitation he blurted it out. "So what exactly can I do? Besides flying, turning invisible, and walking through stuff. Can I like create fire with my mind?"

Clockwork opened his mouth to answer, but was drowned out by Tyler continuing excitedly. "Or maybe I can read minds, ooh can I shoot laser beam from my eyes!? Now that would be cool…wait how 'bout this can I create forcefi-." He broke off when Ancient Clockwork clonked him on the head with his Time staff.

"What part of, I can not alter the natural flow of time, did you not understand?" The ghost scolded.

Ty scowled rubbing his sore head. "You could have just told me that," he growled, wincing as he felt a large bump forming on his head.

"I could have, but you will surely remember before you ask the next time, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ty mumbled still feeling slightly annoyed with the Time Ghost, but he decided not to push it.

The boy cleared his throat, "So I guess I gotta go, I can't leave my lady waiting." Tyler paused deciding to drop his class clown act for a little bit. "Uh…Clockwork," he stopped not knowing how to be sentimental he was a teenage guy for crying out loud! He didn't do chick flick moments.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for saving me and you know not killing me. Maybe I can visit again some time?"

Clockwork's warm gaze rested on the boy, his eyes containing infinite amounts of wisdom and knowledge. "Do not trouble yourself I know if we will meet again. But that is for me to know and you to find out, young Shadowhunter."

Ty stiffened just realizing something, "Oh yeah here Clockwork." He pulled off his medallion and held it out to the Time ghost. "This is yours."

Clockwork shook his head, his expression serious. "That is for you to keep, it is called a Time Medallion. Keep it safe and close at all times." With an uncertain expression the boy slipped the medallion in his side pocket.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot up the boy's arm, "Ouch!" He yelped rubbing his sore arm where he saw a small pinprick of green blood oozing out of a tiny almost invisible cut. "Ow, Clockwork what was that?" Tyler felt his legs go limp as a wave of weakness flooded his veins, causing him to fall to his hands and knees. "C…Clockwork what's happenin'?" he asked fuzzily, his tongue feeling numb.

The Master of Time was not looking at Tyler, but at his viewing portal. It showed one of the doctors' bending over Ty and injecting something into his I.V. "Tyler you must go now," he said turning back to the boy. "You have stayed for too long, you _must_ go."

Tyler forced his heavy legs to straighten, only to fall back to his knees his head feeling like lead. "I...I can't," he stuttered.

"Yes, you can." Clockwork corrected him sternly.

The teen nodded with new determination, if Clockwork said he could he could do, it hell he probably could! Ty took a deep breath and managed to stand his head spinning with sudden exhaustion. He forced his heavy eyelids to remain open, even though they desperately wanted to close. Clockwork pointed his staff at the portal, "You must go through the portal and return to your body."

"But how do I do that?" Ty managed to ask.

"You know what to do." Clockwork advised in a not very helpful tone of voice.

Tyler took several unsteady steps forward, his entire body feeling numb, until he was standing in front of the viewing portal. The scene showed that only his mother remained in the room and she appeared to be sleeping. "And remember Tyler," Clockwork said his voice serious. "You've been given a gift, use it wisely."

Tyler nodded before stepping through the portal and he was instantly transported to the hospital room containing his human half. Forcing his tired body to remain upright for just a little longer, Ty staggered to his bedside.

He grabbed "his body's" pale, clammy arm causing a flash of red light to light up the room. As it died away Diane lifted her head up and gazed sadly down at her son, she had to admit he did look better. Color had returned to his pale cheeks and she could see the slow, but steady rise of his chest as he breathed. She decided it was best to alert the head doctor to Ty's change in appearance, and exited the room.

So she didn't hear a deep raspy voice echo around the room. "**All is as it should be**."

--

Tyler opened his eyes to the feeling of an empty stomach, the very worst way to start the day. He moaned, not realizing where he was at first, but once he took in his surroundings it all came crashing back to him. Ty whipped his head around the empty hospital room, how long had he been out? Had it only been a few hours or a few days?

The door at the far side of the room swung open and a middle aged man in a white coat came walking in. The man's name tag read: Dr. Perkins. "I'm glad to see you're up young man," Dr. Perkins said jovially. "You gave us quite a scare."

Ty leaned back in his pillows, letting his heavy head rest against the bed's headboard. "How long was I out?" He mumbled, his voice still sounding fuzzy from whatever drug was coursing through his system.

"About three days," The doctor said looking over something on his clipboard. He seemed to notice the boy's surprise because he added, "You were in a coma. We don't know what exactly caused it, but if your vitals stay strong you should be able to leave in a couple of days." Dr. Perkins checked Ty's blood pressure and heart rate and once he was sure the boy would be fine he turned to leave. Only to stop as Tyler's voice called his name.

"Do you know how I got here?"

Dr. Perkins shrugged, not really knowing all that much. "All I know is a kid named Danny Fenton found you in the bathroom unconscious he said he thought you were attacked by a ghost." When Ty didn't answer the doctor turned and exited the room, making a mental note to come check up on the kid again later.

Ty stared down at the hospital sheets pulled tightly around him, a stoic expression on his tanned face. _Attacked by a ghost, most likely that ghost was me. Great more problems to add to the list. _With a tired sigh he slid back down into the bed, letting is head rest comfortingly against the soft hospital pillow.

"Heh, mom always complains that the beds suck here." He chuckled humorlessly into the pillow. Ty straightened up his expressions horrified, _Where was Clockwork's Time Medallion_?! He glanced under the sheets to see he was dressed in a backless hospital gown, instead of what he'd worn to school the other day.

_Oh man I wasn't supposed to lose it! Clockwork said it was important, crap where could it be?_ Tyler looked around the room and spotted his clothes folded neatly on a chair beside his bed. Breathlessly Ty reached for his baggy jeans, praying that somehow it was in there, and amazingly it was! In the same exact spot he had put it while in Spectral form. With a bewildered expression, he slipped the medallion into his boot.

Clockwork certainly was the Master of Time.

The door once again popped open and Ty's mother walked in looking relieved. "Oh Ty," she gushed, kissing her son on the forehead. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Ty was too tired to protest over being kissed by his mother, so he leaned back into his pillows. "How're you feeling?" Diane asked concerned. The teen stretched his mouth open in a wide yawn, blinking his drowsy eyes.

"I'm ok, you know all things considered." He yawned again, causing his mother to smile gently at him.

"Well I'm glad to here it," she said, ruffling his short spiky hair. Diane sat back in her chair, her expression turning serious, "Ty do you know what happened to you?"

Tyler bit the inside of his cheek nervously. He was pretty good at lying to others, but to his mother, that was a different story entirely. He took a silent intake of breath, now was the time to put his progressing acting skills to work.

Ty sighed and put a hand up to his head. "No not really," He said in a pathetically pained filled voice, hoping to earn him the sympathy factor. "All I remember is going into the bathroom and then nothing." His mother looked sympathetic and Ty silently thanked his sixth grade drama teacher. Diane looked to her watch, her eyes turning regretful.

"I'm sorry honey, but I've got to get back to work," she stood up heading for the exit. But before she left she turned back around smiling knowingly. "Oh I forgot to tell you, you have a visitor."

Ty watched her leave looking confused,_ who would come to visit me_?

Someone cleared their throat and Ty looked up to see, Jazz standing next to his bed also looking relieved. "Hey," she greeted smiling. "I guess you're feeling better." Was that shyness in her voice? Maybe Ty was imagining it, but she seemed to be standing awkwardly her feet shuffling in a nervous manner. _But why would she be nervous around me? Unless she…no, no way there's no way she could…well maybe there's a way she could. But that's just ridiculous…isn't it?_

"Uh-huh." He groaned, stifling another yawn. He kept his drowsy brown eyes locked on Jazz's light blue ones, searching them for anything that would prove his earlier theory.

Jazz smiled and sat down her hands folded in her lap. Silence filled the room as both teenagers wracked their minds for something to say. "So I heard your brother was the one who found me." Ty said lightly, though his shoulders were rigid.

"Yeah he said that you were unconscious and when you wouldn't wake up he ran for help."

Ty nodded, "Didn't he say he thought a ghost did it?" he asked, hoping to get as much information as possible before he fell back asleep.

Jazz shrugged, "I think so. He didn't really want to talk about it."

Darkness began to creep at the edges of Ty's vision and he could feel his head drooping back into the pillows. But he forced his exhaustion away; he needed to awake just a little longer. "One more question Jazz," he mumbled and she nodded. "Why are _you_ here?"

Her cheeks flushed red and Ty thought she wasn't going to answer, but after a few moments she said. "Because my brother wanted to make sure you were alright." Ty could tell that she was lying and wanted to call her bluff. But the heavy blanket of sleep finally wrapped itself around him and he was out like a light.

Whew, that was a long chapter wasn't it? I hope you all understood that long description of the Shadowhunters if you didn't feel free to ask me, I'll be glad to answer any questions you have. But basically he's like a half ghost, but not exactly. And he will call his ghost form a Spectral form because technically he's not a half ghost. And I got the name Shadowhunter from the book City of Bones by Clarissa Clare and it's really good you should read it! But the two descriptions have nothing to do with each other, I just like the name and thought "oh what the heck." Please tell me if Clockwork was In Character, he was so hard to write. And I just hope I nailed his personality, if I didn't feel free to say something. I won't take it personally,criticism is always good! The next chapter will be called Acceptance, thinkabout that for awhile.


	6. Acceptance

Ok when I read this review I just had to post it:

I can so see Clockwork whopping someone over the head with his staff if they aren't paying attention.

Thonk!

Me: Hey! Clockwork no fair!

CW: points to Pre-Calculus HW

Me: Ugh. Do I have to?

CW: Yes, and you know that almost as well as I do.

Me: You can be a pain sometimes, Clockwork you know that?

CW: grins

It is hilarious, but I shortened it a tiny little bit! Anyway get ready for some Mother/Son fluff, aww.

--Edited as of June, 2008--

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and not me.

Chapter 6: Acceptance

Tyler sighed heavily as he stared out the window of his hospital room. The bright orange shade of light creeping its way over the tops of the buildings was actually kind of pretty. Ty had never woken up early enough to see a sunrise and it was safe to say that he wouldn't ever do it again. It had been three days since he escaped from the Ghost Zone. And he was thankfully going to be released tomorrow Ty didn't know how much longer he could stand being stuck in his room.

All he was allowed to do was sit in bed and either stare at the wall or watch day time television.

He couldn't help but shudder at the thought, _Curse you Bob Barker, curse you!_ Not only was he bored out of his mind but his mother wouldn't leave him alone for five seconds. Every hour of the day she would stop by and ask if he was alright or if he needed anything. Not to mention that since the staff knew his mother they would all go out of their way to make sure he was alright, asking if he needed an extra blanket or pillow, or if he was feeling okay.

It was infuriating!

He knew they were only concerned, especially his mother, but I guy could only take so much dotting before he lost it. Ty scowled at his mother's worrisome attitude, a few days ago she probably wouldn't have noticed if he went into Spectral form right in front of her and starting singing the Star Spangled Banner.

Now he couldn't even go to the bathroom for five minutes before she starting freaking out. It had happened three times already, and each time Diane called Security shouting frantically that her son was missing.

Ty cringed when his door opened again and admitted none other than his mother. The boy forced a smile onto his lips and said, "Hey mom, you're up early."

"So are you," She replied eyeing him worriedly. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need some pain medicine? I can get some if you-"

"Mom," Tyler cut his mother off, already feeling a slight headache coming on. "I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep anymore. I'm more worried about you mom." He looked over his mother's bedraggled appearance; she had dark circles underneath her eyes from lack of sleep. And her clothes were unkempt and wrinkled.

"You don't have to worry about me, mom. You've been running yourself ragged trying to make sure I'm okay. But I'm fine nothing's going to happen to me…except possibly going crazy from boredom."

Diane smiled sadly at her son and, before he could object, she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry Ty," she said taking a shaky breath. "I know you hate in when I dote over you but," she pulled away keeping her hands firmly on his shoulders. Diane smiled fondly at him, he had grown since the last time she really saw him. The last time she actually looked him over he had to crane his neck to see her face. And now she was level with his shoulder.

"When they pulled you in here and you weren't moving….I thought I'd lost you."

Ty smiled sadly at her, it really had been a long time since they'd had a real conversation. He couldn't even remember that far back. "You haven't lost me," he assured her.

Though in the back of his mind he knew it was a lie. She had in fact lost her fully human son. Would she still love him when she found out? Would she still hug him tightly and dote over him like any mother would? Would she hate and despise him, like all the other ghosts that attacked the town? Did he even deserve her love?

All these questions swirled through the boy's mind, but he forced them away. He would think it over another time, now he had to comfort his mother. "And you never will, I'll always be here, mom."

Diane nodded and released her son, wiping her eyes.

"My little man is growing up." Diane said tearfully, causing Ty to groan inwardly.

_Parent's can be so embarrassing!_

Diane busied herself with cleaning up Ty's room, throwing away his amazingly large pile of snack food wrappers that had grown over the past few days. Once she was done with that she sighed. "Well my shift starts in a few minutes. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Ty rolled his eyes, "No mom." She cast a glance back at her son as she left, wishing she could spend more time with him, but she couldn't skip out on work. Once the door was closed Tyler sagged against the wall, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He knew his mother loved him but how could anyone love a monster?

_Is that really what I am? Clockwork didn't seem to think so…he said it was a gift. Why would he say that if it was really a curse?_ He ran a hand through his hair sighing, it was strange to think only a few days ago the biggest problem he had to worry about was getting to work on time.

"I wish things were that simple again." Ty muttered sadly keeping his dull eyes downcast. He decided not to tell his mother about the whole Specter thing, it was probably for the best.

"Like she needs more things to worry about," he mumbled quietly. With one last tired sigh the boy pushed himself away from the wall and headed for the door leading to the rest of the hospital. He grabbed a pale white robe along the way and pulled it on as he slipped into the hall, glancing around warily.

He wasn't really supposed to be out, but over the past few days he'd been exploring more and more. Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice he was there. Whether it was from his new powers or if he was just easy to ignore he didn't know, but he was grateful that he could walk around unbothered.

Ty headed in the opposite direction of the Nurse's station, knowing that was where his mother would be. And he really didn't want to explain to her why he wasn't resting. The teen slipped down a deserted hallway, enjoying the new if not repetitive surroundings.

Tyler paused a strange look crossing his face. For some reason a chill was creeping up his spine, and not the familiar one that signaled his transformation but something different. He shivered violently, rubbing his arms where goosebumps had started to appear. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he could feel the cold calculating gaze of something watching him. Ty whipped his head around expecting to find someone, but the hall was empty, silent except for the ragged breathing of the young Shadowhunter.

Shaking his head the boy continued walking, the strange feeling passing as he moved further away. He rolled his shoulders shaking out the cold sensation, _man that was weird. _Ty shrugged, _Maybe it's a side affect or something_?

The boy wandered around the Hospital, doing his best to stay out of sight. And since he didn't know how to turn his powers on and off, he relied on his ability to duck and hide. After about half an hour Ty found himself standing in front of a vending machine about to get breakfast of a snickers bar when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Tyler whirled around his hands coming up into a defensive stance only for them to drop to his side as he came face to face with Valerie Gray.

She smirked at the boy's surprised expression. "Why so surprised?" she asked playfully.

Ty shook himself out of his stupor before smiling back. "Hey Val… I'm not surprised you just scared me is all." He explained turning back to the machine and grabbing his candy bar/breakfast.

He heard her laugh and the two teens headed into the waiting room and sat down. "So what's been going on in the normal people's lives lately?" Ty questioned once they were seated.

Valerie rolled her eyes, "The usual. Dash and his crew picking on the band members. Paulina gossiping about the 'unpopular kids' yadda yadda."

Tyler bit into his breakfast, a small smirk coming across his face. "Has anyone even noticed I was gone?"

"Yeah, actually Danny Fenton and his friends were planning on coming with me. But they called and said they'd be a little late."

"Huh," Tyler said surprised. "I mean I know his sister, but I've never really talked to him. But I did want to thank him for finding me," he said a tad bit grudgingly. He didn't really want to thank the person who had concerned his mother so much, when there wasn't really anything wrong. But he couldn't blame the kid. What was he supposed to think? That he had been taking a nap, passed out on the bathroom floor?

Valerie put a hand on his shoulder her expression turning pained. "I'm sorry Ty," She said her eyes glistening slightly.

"For what?"

"For what happened, for you being hurt by that ghost." Her expression turned dark as she glared into the distance. "If I could, I'd get rid of them all. Especially Danny Phantom," she growled.

Ty couldn't help but feel paralyzed by her words. He knew that if she found out about him she wouldn't be accepting at all. He couldn't tell if it was her tone or her expression, but it sent chills up his spine and not the normal kind either. Tyler grasped her hand, hoping to calm her down. It seemed to work as her gaze drifted back to Tyler's eyes, her face softening.

"Val, you don't need to blame yourself…or ghosts," He added somewhat hastily. "It was just a freak accident, one of those wrong place wrong time things."

The girl shook her head determinedly, "No Ty, all ghosts are evil. They're vile creatures and all they care about is causing others pain, they don't deserve anything, especially mercy."

Tyler swallowed nervously, desperately searching his mind for a way to change the subject before he had a heart attack. He was just about to say something when Valerie shook her head as if to clear it. "What am I doing? Here I am rambling on about ghosts when I should be asking how you've been holding up."

Tyler sighed internally, happy for the change in subject, but he kept his face carefully blank. "Alright I guess. I've been bored out of mind though." Valerie nodded in sympathy, "Not to mention my mom is being seriously over-protective." He added, before telling her about the three bathroom/security incidents. The girl nodded again, laughing at Ty's facial expression.

"Well you can't really blame her Ty," Valerie said once he was finished. "She thought you died. What'd you expect her to do? Go on with her job like nothing even happened."

_I wish_, Ty thought. "I guess you're right," he said out loud with a shrug. "I just hope she tones it down a bit, preferably soon."

Valerie looked like she wanted to say more, but she glanced down at her watch and winced. "Oh jeez Ty, I've got work." She said, sounding regretful and Ty wished she could stay longer.

"That's okay, you know I understand."

Valerie stood up preparing to leave, but before she did she pulled Ty into a friendly hug. Whispering in his ear, "Don't worry Ty, I won't let you get hurt again."

Before he could object, or even ask what she meant, Valerie had released him and hurried out the door. He watched her leave with an uneasy expression. His stomach churned from confusion and anxiety, it seemed that if any of the people he cared about found out what he had become they would hate his guts.

He sighed and walked slowly back to his room, sliding under the covers of his, feeling drained. He kept his tired eyes locked on the far wall, incoherent thoughts jumbling in his head.

He truly wanted to believe what Clockwork had said, that his powers were a gift. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help but see the down side of it all. His mother wouldn't accept him, Valerie would hate him, and Danny Phantom would try to suck him into the thermos on a daily basis. And not to mention that when Skulker found out he'd probably want his head on a platter, Ty cringed at the mental image before forcing it away.

Sighing, Tyler rolled over onto his belly and flicked on the television mounted on the wall. It was Saturday morning so he could at least watch cartoons.

Ty aimlessly flipped through the channels, "Nope…nah…bleh…guh science channel…hmm Mexican soap opera. No…ah here we go the wonderful world of MTV." Just as the boy was getting settled he heard a hesitant knocking ring through his room.

He slid off the bed and opened the door to see Danny Fenton, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley waiting patiently in the hallway. Ty leaned his shoulder against the doorway, trying his best to not act too shocked.

"Hey Tyler," Danny greeted sounding somewhat uncomfortable. "We just came by to see how you're doing."

Ty eyed the shorter teen curiously, noticing as he shivered and how his eyes glinted with anxiety. "Uh, thanks." Ty said suddenly feeling awkward as well. "Um…you uh want to come in?" He gestured back to his room.

"Sure." Sam said before sliding past the blond haired boy. Tucker and Danny followed, both looking extremely uncomfortable. Sam and Tucker took a seat in the only available chairs, leaving Danny to stand behind them.

"So, uh we just came by to see how you're doing." Tucker spoke up, not really a fan of uncomfortable silences.

Tyler sat down on the edge of his bed, wondering why the three teens looked so anxious. _They look like they expect a ghost to jump out and scare them or something_, he thought before answering. "I'm doing good, I guess."

Silence pressed down on the children once more. Ty cleared his throat and Sam tapped her booted foot quietly.

"Um that's good." Sam supplied.

Tyler frowned when he caught Danny studying him with narrowed eyes, the dark haired teen shivered once more and icy mist escaped from his mouth. Ty's eyes widened, _did I just see that?_ He didn't think it was that cold in here, it was probably around seventy or seventy-five degrees.

Tyler began to feel frightened by Danny's intense gaze and he forced himself to yawn. "Oh I'm sorry but I'm pretty tired," he explained. When the other three didn't move he said, a bit forcefully, "I think you should go."

Before they could object he stood up and opened the door, sending them an angry glare. Slowly the three teens left the room glancing back over their shoulders as they left. Just before Ty slammed the door Danny turned around and asked. "Did that ghost do something to you?"

"What do you mean?" Ty countered feigning ignorance.

"Did it shoot you with something glowing or anything suspicious?"

Tyler glared fiercely at him, "I don't remember." The two stood glaring at each other before Tyler grabbed the side of the door in preparation to close it. But before he did he said, ungratefully to Danny, "Oh and thanks for saving me and all. I don't know where I'd be without you," then he slammed the door closed.

Danny stood outside the door blinking in surprise. Before he turned to Sam and Tucker, "I think he's hiding something." Danny told them moving a few feet away from the door.

"Oh really," Sam said. "You caught on to that too?"

Danny decided to ignore her tone, instead focusing on the problem at hand. "My ghost sense went off, but I didn't see a ghost anywhere," He explained, lowering his voice.

"Maybe it was invisible." Tuck suggested, sounding just as confused as Danny.

"I don't think so," Danny shook his head. "Whenever it goes off a ghost usually shows itself, you know."

"Wait," Sam interjected. "It's not going off now." Danny realized in surprise that she was right. The cold feeling he got whenever another ghost was around had started exactly when Tyler had opened the door. But now it was completely gone.

"You're right Sam, but what does that mean?" Danny asked.

The three teens shared a swift glance before their eyes strayed to Tyler's closed door. "I think it means we need to keep an eye on him," Tucker said suspiciously. "And maybe do a little investigating," he added. Danny and Sam nodded agreement as they turned and headed for the exit.

--

Tyler stared angrily at the far wall of his room. He couldn't believe the nerve of that Fenton kid to interrogate him like that. But what really had him on edge was the way Danny had been watching him; it was like he knew something was up with him. Like he knew that he had been the ghost that had supposedly sent his human self to the Hospital.

It was extremely unsettling and Ty shivered at recalling the feeling. Eventually, after hours of glaring at the wall, his tired eyes finally closed and the boy drifted off to sleep.

Infinite blackness, that's how Ty would describe what he was seeing. He seemed to be standing in an infinite black void, wisps of fog floated around his feet and it was eerily quiet. "Hello." He called into the darkness his voice echoing back to him.

"O-okay creepy," he muttered, walking slowly through the dark.

Out of nowhere a voice spoke up, it was deep and raspy sounding somewhat like Clockwork. "Welcome Tyler, we've been expecting you." It echoed sending chills up the boys' spine.

"Whose we?" he called, keeping his voice steady.

Two fiery orange eyes appeared out of the darkness, followed by a set of glowing blue and green. After a moment eyes glowing every color of the rainbow appeared around Tyler, each watching him with an unwavering gaze.

The orange eyes blinked calmly and the owner of the eyes stepped forward so Ty could see him. The man seemed to be in his late twenties he was tall with hair black as night falling into his face and a scraggly beard covering his chin. "Who are you?" Ty asked uncertainly, feeling intimidated by the man.

"I am Blaze, first of the Shadowhunters. And these," the man gestured to the glowing eyes. "Are the Shadowhunters after me, and before you."

Ty blinked, dumbfounded at Blaze. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. These were the Shadowhunters before him. Others that had experienced what he was going through now. He felt an instant kinship to Blaze and the others. Since the accident had happened Ty had felt like he was missing a piece of himself, but now meeting his own kind. It felt like that part of him was restored. He felt whole.

"Y..you're the first Shadowhunter?" Ty squeaked, finally finding his voice.

Blaze nodded his eyes kind, "Why are you here?" Ty asked still feeling dazed.

"To welcome you," Blaze said. When the boy looked confused he continued, "It is tradition among our kind to welcome all new Shadowhunters to our ranks with a naming ceremony."

Before Ty could ask what he meant the man spoke up, his voice rumbling with authority. "I, Blaze, first of the Shadowhunters look down on this young Shadowhunter. He is the newest addition to our ranks and as it is tradition I shall give him his new name. Tyler, from this moment on, you will be known as Shade. We welcome you Shade and you have our wisdom and protection."

The other gathered Shadowhunters started to cheer Tyler's new name and he gazed around at them, still stunned. Blaze leaned down and said to him, amazingly speaking above the cheering ghosts. "Do not worry, I will answer your questions the next time I visit you," he assured the teen.

Ty was about to object when the gathered Shadowhunters glowing eyes began to swirl around him in a bright cyclone. He covered his head with his arms and shouted above the swirling wind. "Wait Blaze, what if I need you!"

The man stood outside of the swirling tornado, his arms calmly clasped behind his back. "I will always be with you, Shade. Now wake up." He snapped and instantly the teens' eyes popped open.

Tyler was back in his Hospital room asleep…on the floor. Ty rubbed his head where he could feel a large bump forming, "Ow," he groaned. "Mental note: when going to sleep, be sure to actually stay on the bed, the floor hurts." With a moan he pulled himself back onto the bed, glancing at the clock along the way.

It was 10:26 p.m. Ty flipped onto his back, with his hands behind his head. As he stared up at the ceiling a giddy smile came across his face. He couldn't believe that he'd just met the Shadowhunters before him.

Excitement swirled through the boy, mixing with the feeling of content. It felt good to finally meet others like him, and Blaze had said he would see him again. Ty could finally talk to someone about his powers, finally someone would be able to answer his questions. He felt so much better knowing that eventually he would be able control his powers. Under the guidance of the first Shadowhunter anything was possible.

Ty sighed in content, all his anxiety sliding off him like drops of water. "Shade," he whispered. "I like that."

Whew, another long one. Sorry once I start writing sometimes I just can't stop! Oh I have one more thing to apologize for, the excessive amount of OC's. I swear this is the last chapter with them. From now on it will only be Ty and maybe Blaze but he won't be in it a lot. I'm sorry but it was necessary to add a few OC's. But truly this will be the last chapter with them in it, I Promise! After this it will be all normal DP characters.

Oh one more thing, Thanks (again) ShadowFox for giving me the idea for the name. You are truly a life saver, and no not the candy the actual thing! Welp, that's all from me hopes you people liked it and if you didn't eh, what can you do?


	7. Complications

**Authors note: **Finally! I can finally write something that has action in it. Gah! Thanks to all who reviewed for the last chapter and I'm sorry I forgot to write your names down. Please forgive me, but I got it this time so don't worry! Oh and you'll be happy to know I went back to the first two chapters and changed a few things. But it was mostly commas and quotation marks so you don't really have to go back and look at it. Unless you really want to, then go right ahead.

--Edited as of July 2008--

**Review thanks to:** crimsonshrouds, ShadowFox123, ArmoredSoul, and Silver Shadowbreeze

**Disclaimer:** Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman; if it belonged to me you can bet the show wouldn't be cancelled right now.

Chapter 7: Complications

"**Freedom**!" A young male voice shouted from the entrance to the Amity Park Hospital, startling a small flock of nestling birds in the process. Tyler practically went intangible and jumped through the door in his haste to get out of the incredibly boring Hospital. Well, if he knew how to do that he would have.

"Ty," Diane chuckled as she followed her son outside. He was currently doing cartwheels and dancing around the front of the Hospital with a happy expression. "Calm down, remember what Doctor Perkins said," she scolded lightheartedly.

The boy ceased his cheering as he took on a sober expression. "Get as much bed rest as possible and skip physical activity," he said seriously, imitating his doctor's old voice.

"Which isn't exactly a big stretch for you," Diane teased unlocking the door to her car.

Tyler scowled before nodding in an accepting manner, _can't really deny that_. The car ride home was filled with comfortable conversation between mother and son. Ty couldn't even remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable around his mother. It felt good to finally talk to her and after not seeing her for a long time every minute mattered.

Since he was visited by Blaze Ty had a new outlook on things, a feeling of calm had wrapped itself around him, and the future looked bright. It didn't matter that he was a shadow ghost freak; it didn't matter that he couldn't control his powers. He knew he would eventually learn, and for some reason, Tyler felt in control. For the first time since this whole fiasco had begun. And that feeling made him forget all about the problems he'd been thinking about only days before.

"What are you smiling at?" Diane asked, her voice holding a quiet chuckle.

_I feel like I could take on an entire football with one arm behind my back and blindfolded._ Ty gave her a calm smile before answering, as he forced himself to stop smirking evilly out the window. "I don't know. Guess I'm just happy to be out of that Hospital."

His mother nodded in understanding just as her pager began to beep. Sighing she looked at the tiny device and muttered a curse, "Ty I'm sorry sweetie but they need me back at work." She looked angry and regretful as they pulled up to their house.

Tyler grinned at her, still feeling amazingly energized. "That's okay mom, I'll be fine." And before she could object he hopped out of the car and leapt up the steps to the house turning to wave before he slipped inside. Diane smiled at his departing form before driving slowly back the way she had come.

Once inside the boys' calm grin returned for reasons even he didn't know. He sprinted up the steps to his room and flung himself onto his bed, his eyes still shining with some unknown emotion. The young man chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, trying to understand why he was feeling so strange. A part of him was concerned about his sudden change but the other, more dominating part, really didn't give a hoot.

Suddenly a strange look crossed the boys' face and he shivered. "Uh-oh," he muttered just before a flash of light encased his body changing him into Shade. Ty groaned as he looked down on his unmoving human body. He grimaced when his head bumped the ceiling.

"Great perfecto," Ty grumbled crossing his arms and flipping onto his back. He put his arms under his head and kicked his feet in paddle like motions, propelling him slowly through the air. "I guess this isn't so bad," he admitted, kind of enjoying the weightless feeling of flying.

He floated along for a bit, but his bad luck couldn't stay away for long as the boy slammed the back of his head into his bedroom wall.

"And that's enough of that," he groaned rubbing his head. Ty tried in vain to get back down to the ground. "Erg…almost there…just a little farther…come on, come on… no, no, no…go down not up down…Gah!" After several attempts he found that he was stuck.

"Yeah it's great until you want to get down!" He frowned before an idea popped into his mind making one corner of his mouth curve upward in a smirk. Ty looked up to the ceiling his eyes wistful, "I have always wanted to see Amity from the air." _And since I can't get down, might as well go have some fun._

After a moment of pondering he came to a decision, taking a deep breath, he flew towards the ceiling. He was planning to phase through it, but he ended up colliding head on with the ceiling. He flipped backward, holding his nose as his eyes flashed with anger and frustration. He had hoped that by now he'd at least be able to go intangible for a few seconds, but that apparently wasn't so.

Tyler sighed, about to return to his body when he thought, _what would Blaze do_? Of course the man had been alive a long time ago but Ty was sure the first Shadowhunter wouldn't have backed down from a challenge.

"And neither will I," the boy vowed.

He glared back up at the ceiling but after a moment his face fell, _maybe I'll take the stairs_. Ty flew back out of his room and floated up the stairs leading to the attic. Once inside he went to the large window and popped it open. Tyler took a deep breath, breathing in the cool breeze that swept over him with a happy expression.

It felt so refreshing. "It smells like freedom," he decided. Taking one last glance behind him, Ty floated uneasily out of the house and into the sky.

Ty released the breath; he hadn't known he'd been holding, and looked down on his hometown. He'd never seen it from so high. It was really amazing; beautiful even. "Wow" he whispered in awe, floating past a flock of geese. The birds honked at him, as they scattered their formation, sounding annoyed.

"Sorry," he mumbled to the angry geese. But they ignored him as they continued on their flight path heading out of Amity Park and towards the hills that bordered the town. Ty yearned to follow them, but he forced the feelings away and floated a little higher into the sky. He grinned as he flew through a cloud, but his joy vanished as he came out on the other side soaking wet.

"I thought clouds were supposed to be fluffy," he grumbled shaking water droplets from his hair. "Not wet."

The teen picked up speed, hoping to dry off his wet clothes and after a few minutes he slowed down, slightly drier than he was before. He shook his head like a damp dog and sighed, his annoyance returning. But his anger faded away when a strong gust of wind pushed him into a barrel roll, his vision continued to spin as he came out of the roll. "Cool," he breathed, holding his head to stop the dizziness.

A devious grin grew on the boys' face as he kicked it up a notch and started doing flips and corkscrews through the air. "Woo-Hoo!" He shouted happily, as the wind blew his hair into a frenzy. _This is the most fun I've had in…forever_. The boy swooped higher into the sky and, taking a deep breath, he dove towards the ground.

His stomach jumped up into his throat as he picked up speed. Just before he crashed into the street packed with cars he pulled up, flying a few feet above the moving vehicles.

"Spider-Man's got nothing on me!" He shouted, flipping up to avoid a traffic light that was currently on red. Tyler could hear people shouting and pointing in his direction.

"Who's that?"…

"Is that a new ghost?"…

"Ghost!"

Their voices reached his ears but he continued on, enjoying himself too much to care. _This is awesome. I'll never have to ride a roller coaster again. _

"Yeah, ha-ha-ha!" Tyler shouted, his laughter ringing through the packed streets of Amity. He swooped up and away from the street, but not before waving to the people staring up at him. He grinned at their awed and amazed expressions; they were probably surprised he wasn't attacking them at the moment.

Ty flipped through the air a few more times before halting as he heard a strange noise coming from somewhere below him. It sounded like … the whir of a small engine?

Before the boy could ponder on it more he felt a burning pain shoot up his back. He cried out as he fell from the sky, only managing to right himself before he splattered all over the buildings below him. But he was not quick enough to stop himself from landing painfully on the top of the building. After rolling head over heals for about ten feet the boy came to a stop, upside down with his feet dangling in his face.

Groaning in pain he looked up to see an upside down girl, dressed in a red jumpsuit and standing on a flying jet sled type thing. Tyler's eyes widened as he recognized the girl from Valerie's picture, _she's real!_

"Don't look so surprised ghost," the girl shouted in an infuriatingly familiar voice.

_Where have I heard that voice before?_ Ty thought, knowing it from somewhere.

Ty painfully rolled over and stood up favoring his left leg, his right still a bit sore from the dragon's claws. "Don't tell me you're gonna attack me too?" He shouted, his annoyance for the situation boiling over. "I haven't even done anything!"

The girl pointed her extremely large and dangerous looking gun at Ty's chest, shouting angrily, "You may not have done anything _yet_, but you will!" And, before the Shadowhunter could protest, the gun was fired, the blast hitting him directly in the chest.

"Ahh!" Ty cried as he was blasted backwards, into and over the ledge of the building. Luckily, it was a relatively short building. As he fell the boy desperately tried to regain flight but couldn't. He ended up slamming into the top of a dumpster landing mostly on his right leg.

Tyler bounced off the dumpster and crashed into a set of gross old trashcans, before coming to rest covered in garbage and alley water of unknown substance.

If the boy hadn't been in so much pain he would have been extremely grossed out. His hair was matted together with greasy water and a piece of rotten pizza was stuck to his arm. Hissing in agony he tried to sit up, but after shooting pains emitted from his chest, back, and pretty much everywhere else he sat back down.

_Damn that hurt_, Ty cringed as he heard the Red girl's hover board whir above him.

Tyler heard the girl chuckle darkly at his downed form. "Had enough, ghost?" She taunted, lazily holding her gun in the crook of her arm. She didn't even seem threatened by the situation; in fact she seemed to be enjoying it.

"Unfortunately yes," Ty growled too low for her to hear. He clenched his eyes shut, focusing all his will and might on becoming invisible. It would be his only chance. When he snapped his golden eyes open he saw the girl glancing around in frustration, obviously searching for something.

"Come out ghost!" She shouted weapon at the ready, "you coward. Show yourself and fight."

Tyler pulled himself as quietly as possible out of the garbage and limped out of the alley, desperately praying that his invisibility would last long enough for him to get away. He wasn't very lucky, apparently because before he had moved ten steps a red blast of energy exploded mere inches from his head.

He cried out and dived to the side as more blasts rained down upon him. The red clothed girl was shooting madly down at him, intent on destroying him. Ty hid behind a parked car, his eyes wide and frightened. He heard the citizens of Amity run away screaming, _I wouldn't mind joining them right now._

_She's gonna kill me. I've got to fly, run, do something or I'm dead_, he thought in desperation. Before the sane part of him could object, the boy sprinted from his hiding place and leapt into the air. The boy flew in the direction his home, in hopes of reaching his body, but the ghost huntress intervened, blasting a rocket at the golden haired ghost.

Luckily for Ty he was able to dodge the rocket by ducking quickly. It passed over his head, burning a few of his golden hairs as it flew by. Unfortunately, the rocket hit the parked car he'd be hiding behind moments before, causing the vehicle to explode in a huge fireball, blowing Tyler into and through the building beside it. The teen landed in a vacant living room, crashing head first into an ugly red couch.

_Yeesh, whoever bought this was either really old, or really blind_. The bruised and battered boy pulled himself off the couch just as he heard sounds coming from a closed door on the far side of the room. Even though his life was in danger his teenage curiosity got the better of him and he crept towards the door, still limping visibly.

Tyler heard someone humming as he reached the wall separating the rooms. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, sticking his head through the wall, only to gasp at what he saw.

Mr. Lancer was inside, his shirt off, exposing his disturbingly hairy chest and back. The middle aged overweight teacher held a shaver in his hand and was tediously shaving his back and chest, oblivious to the horrified student watching him.

The man heard someone gagging behind him and he turned around, but no one was there. Shrugging, Mr. Lancer turned back around ready to continue his shaving.

Ty pulled his head back out of the wall, rubbing his burning eyes. "Oh god. Worse than Technus, worse than Technus," He whispered, positive that he'd be scarred for life after this. Tyler heard the doorknob start to jiggle and took that as his cue to leave, there was no way he ever wanted to see Lancer shirtless again.

Tyler leapt for the window, pulled it open and jumped outside, all in a matter of about five seconds. He looked behind him, breathing a sigh of relief. That was close.

The boy turned his gaze away from the apartment only to come face to face with the red suited huntress. "You can't get away that easy spook," she growled firing a glowing blue net at the terrified ghost teen. He yelped and covered his head with his hands, only for the net to pass harmlessly through him.

Forcing away his current shock, Ty swerved away from the crazed ghost huntress and towards the park. _If I can just get to the park, maybe I can hide under the trees until this psycho leaves!_

He could hear the huntress close behind him, still firing madly at him. Ty ducked and spun avoiding most of the blasts but some caught him in the arms and legs. He forced away the pain and flew on knowing that if he stopped he was dead meat. After minutes of breathlessly dodging attack after attack, Ty saw the park come into view.

Without hesitation, he dove toward the trees the branches whipped him in the face and the leaves scratched and pulled him, but he managed to break free from their hold.

Coming out of the branches, Ty landed on the ground. He panted and leaned against a tree attempting to catch his breath. He wiped sweat mixed with alley water from his brow and grimaced when the sweat stung a cut across his temple. _Man, this is almost as bad as running_, his ragged breathing seemed to echo throughout the empty forestry.

He froze when he heard the familiar hum of the ghost hunters' jet sled. Ty yelped as a humongous blue energy blast exploded a few feet behind him, knocking him to the ground. Before he could move another exploded, this time much closer than the last.

"Crap," Ty gasped taking to the air again. He flew just below the trees, low enough to avoid the leaves so he could keep up his speed. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a large blue blast exploded in front of him, shooting bark and dirt everywhere. Trees were uprooted, their limbs reaching out to slap the teen in the face.

Ty just barely managed to swerve around the mass of blue energy and falling trees and keep moving. Just as another exploded off to his right, the shock waves caused him to lose altitude and clip a tree with his outstretched arm.

"Ahh!" He shouted, cradling his injured arm close to his burned chest. Tears stinging his vision, the teen broke free of the trees and flew out over the lake heading back for his house. If he could just make it back to his body he'd be fine. Suddenly the red huntress shot out of nowhere to Ty's left side and before he could move, she blasted him with a missile. It collided head on with the golden eyed ghost and sent him spinning lifelessly into the lake with an enormous splash.

The huntress floated above the water in satisfaction, an evil grin concealed behind her mask. "Good riddance," She growled before flying off in hopes of getting home before her father found out she was gone. So she didn't notice as a soaked golden head popped out of the lake and swam unsteadily for the shore.

Ty pulled himself onto the bank, coughing up mouthfuls of lake water mixed with flecks of green blood. "Ugh," he moaned in between coughs, holding his aching ribs. Tyler rolled onto his side and attempted to stand; but couldn't.

_I have to get up; I can't sit here and wait for someone to find me. _He tried once more to stand but collapsed as pain shot through his body, sharp enough to hitch his already unsteady breathing. Ty fell back onto his side, darkness tugging at his tired mind and body. _I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes_, the boy thought fuzzily before his eyes closed and he blacked out.

--

When Ty came to it was almost completely dark out, maybe around five or six. His body still ached immensely but he thought he could at least manage to make it home. The teen clenched his eyes shut from the pain throbbing through every part of his body. He stood up, keeping the weight off of his right foot.

The ghost teen took an unsteady step, only to gasp in pain. Ty gasped, putting a hand up to his bruised chest.

Ty caught his reflection in the water of the lake and couldn't help but gawk. His pale blue face was burned and smeared with dirt, while his jumpsuit was torn and ripped everywhere. Revealing puffy red burns underneath. Ty was most shocked at the sight his arm that was bent at an awkward angle as he held it against his chest.

It looked like he had been stuffed in a blinder set on frappe. The boy couldn't tell all of his injuries from the reflection but he did know that they were bad and he definitely needed help. Even though he had no idea how he was going to explain what happened to him.

Keeping his eyes clenched shut he lifted himself off the ground and unsteadily took to the sky. Tyler flew slowly back to his home, dropping and regaining altitude several times along the way. Ty was amazed that he was even able to stay conscious, because the pain was so intense. Every part of his body was throbbing and his chest felt burned and numb.

After what felt like years, the boy saw his house come into sight. His mind was still numb with pain, so he didn't notice the car parked outside.

The ghostly teen flew through the open window in the attic and slipped back into his room. Ty limped up to his body and grabbed its arm. Instantly the flash of light came and pulled him back into his body. But this time he managed to stay conscious, but the pain was still there. The only thing missing was his burnt and ripped clothes, his hair was still damp and his body still ached; especially his arm. His face, chest and arms were still red with burns and he still smelled like a dumpster.

"**Ty**!" A female voice gasped from the boys' bedside.

Tyler snapped his eyes open wincing at what he saw. "Uh hey," he looked down at his bloody and beaten appearance. "I can explain this."

--

Vlad Masters sat in a beautiful and elegant chair, staring thoughtfully into the crackling flames of the fire. He was sitting in his private study, tapping his fingers quietly on the arm of the chair. The billionaire did this often, especially when he was plotting.

The gray haired man rubbed his chin still deep in thought. After his meeting with Skulker, Vlad had spent the past few days searching the ghost zone for the golden haired child. Skulker had insisted the boy was actually a human child.

But no matter where he looked, Vlad had found nothing. Which meant only one thing, the child must be in the human world; Amity Park to be exact. Because there were only two ghost portals in the human world. One belonging to Vlad, and the other to the Fenton's.

It was the only logical place for the boy to be, and it was important for Vlad to find him. The man could see that this boy could be a wonderfully useful pawn in his schemes. Maybe even more valuable than Valerie Gray. Vlad chuckled evilly as a plan formed in his mind. With the help of the golden haired child Vlad could potentially get all of the things he desired, or at least one.

With a flourish the man stood and walked over to his large fireplace. He reached up to tilt a golden football towards him, causing the fireplace to split in half; revealing a staircase leading down into darkness. Without hesitation, Vlad walked down the steps, his expression still thoughtful.

Vlad slipped into his secret lab, and sauntered up to a large computer screen that filled up half of the wall. He typed a name on the keypad and waited patiently, after a moment Skulker's robotic face appeared on the screen.

"Yes Plasmius?" The hunter ghost questioned, hastily stuffing the quilt he had been sewing behind his back.

"Skulker, you remember that child that you caught spying on us a few days ago correct?"

The hunter leaned forward looking intrigued. "Yes," he said, his tone holding a hint of anticipation.

"I would like you to find him in the human world," Vlad noticed the ghost's eager expression and added. "But do not attack him; I want you to watch him for me." He ignored Skulker's angry glare and continued. "Find out where he lives, who he hangs out with, everything. Oh and one more thing, I'll be sending in those three buzzards to help you in your search."

"You want me to follow around a child!" Skulker shouted, appalled. "I am a hunter, not a babysitter!"

"If you do then I'll be sure to give you the new ecto-gun I've been working on," Vlad said persuasively.

Skulker closed his mouth scowling slightly, "alright Plasmius. But I expect my payment the next time I contact you." And before Vlad could object, the hunter ended transmission.

Vlad turned away from the computer, smirking in triumph. "Soon Daniel," the man whispered. "You'll have no choice but to join me, you and your mother." He laughed evilly, his voice echoing throughout his empty castle.

**Authors note:** Ooh scary Vlad. Heh, sorry about the cliffie back up there, couldn't resist. Oh my who saw Ty's transformation? And why is Valerie such a jerk? Alright one more question by show of hands, who thought the description of Lancer without his shirt on was mentally scarring. Raises hand, you think it hurt to read. Try having to write it! I hope this chapter held enough excitement for ya, and sorry to report but Vlad will not be coming in again for awhile. Sorry Vlad fans out there, I love him too. But he's just not supposed to be in it yet.


	8. Spilling

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom.

Warning: This chapter is long.

**Review thanks to:** ShadowFox123, and ArmoredSoul. Thanks guys you're the best!

--Edited as of October 2008--

Chapter 8: Spilling

"So you're saying you're like a half ghost?" Jasmine Fenton said as she finished wrapping the last of Tyler's wounds. She had been the one waiting in Ty's room for him to wake up, and she had been the one that saw him transform back. The Shadowhunter had done his best to convince the girl that what she was seeing was all a dream. He even went as far as to wave his hands through the air going 'ooh'.

But Jazz wasn't a nitwit and she called his bluff immediately, forcing the boy to tell her everything. And that everything meant everything. From the ghost mosquitoes to his meeting with Clockwork. At first, it had been hard to tell his story. But as he went on it got easier and easier. By the end he was almost sad to stop, but Jazz had been a good listener and sat patiently through the whole thing, cleaning his cuts and burns along the way.

That question was the first time she had spoken in the last fifteen minutes and Ty blinked, confused at her description. "I guess you could call it that," he answered slowly. He had been hesitant to spill the beans about his secret, but after receiving Jazz's fierce glare and threats he eventually told her. Ty was very surprised that she hadn't leapt from her chair and ran out the door screaming the moment he said he was a "ghost." And he'd been even more surprised when she offered to help fix his injuries. In fact, she hadn't seemed affected by it at all, though she did look lost in thought throughout the whole tale.

Jazz nodded, throwing the last of the bloody towels into the garbage can. "I fixed everything I could, but your arm." She shook her head taking his hurt arm gently in her soft hands. "I don't know. It might be broken." She was about to stand back up when she felt a hand grab her arm, not tight enough to hurt but still tight.

She looked into Tyler's eyes, gasping at the emotions within his brown orbs. The first time she'd met him he had come across as an annoying pompous jerk, but the more time she spent with him, the less he came across that way. True, she hadn't spent that much time with him, but she had visited him frequently when he was in the Hospital.

"Jazz…I, I just wanted to say…thanks," Ty said nervously. He wasn't feeling confident around the girl for the first time since meeting her.

Jazz stared at him dumbfounded. _Did he just stutter?_ The girl couldn't believe it. That was the first time Ty had shown any nervousness around her. And to say she was surprised would be an understatement. What was even more shocking was his sudden nervousness made him seem kind of … cute.

"I…I don't know what would've happened if you weren't here," he continued, his eyes never leaving Jazz's. He was pretty sure his face was flushing red right about now but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was make sure Jazz knew he appreciated her kindness. More than she'd ever know.

"Did I just hear the Great Tyler Matthews thank someone?" Jazz said slyly, her eyes flashing with playfulness.

Ty's face reddened even more at her tone. "Uh, yeah," he murmured, not realizing that he and Jazz were leaning closer towards each other. He couldn't for the life of him understand why he was so nervous. Usually, he would have cracked a few jokes and acted as if nothing could touch him. But now he felt vulnerable. Like if he said the wrong thing Jazz would walk out his door and never come back. And he didn't want to take that chance.

"Well, I think that's very mature of you Tyler," Jazz breathed. She suddenly realized how close she was to the boy and instantly pulled back, not missing the disappointed look in Ty's eyes. She had to suppress a gasp of shock. Was there a chance that Ty actually liked her, like that. Now that she thought back on all her encounters with him, she couldn't deny that he'd always been flirting with her.

"_You're a weird one Jazz."_ That was what he said the first time they met.

Then at the hospital a few days after he'd woken up they were eating lunch in the cafeteria.

_Ty and Jazz sat in the Hospital cafeteria, both teens eating their meals in silence. Jazz was staring down at her plate, trying to determine what exactly she was eating when she felt something wet and slimy hit her in the cheek. Gasping, she whipped around to see Tyler holding an empty bowel of jello in his hands and a goofy grin on his face. _

"_You did not just …" Jazz said breathlessly._

_Ty nodded, the grin never leaving his face. _

"_You know what I'm going to do now don't you?" Jazz said._

_Ty nodded again, still grinning challengingly._

_In one swift motion, Jazz grabbed her own jello off her plate and flung it at the blond haired boy. He had no time to dodge and the green gelatin splattered all over his face. He yelped as he fell backwards out of his seat. Before Jazz could move, Ty jumped back up, grabbing another bowel of rice pudding off his tray and flinging it at Jazz. _

_The red haired girl screeched as she dived from her seat and the bowel passed harmlessly over her head. Now she understood why Tyler had gotten so much liquid-y food! Jazz ducked behind a table adjacent to Ty and snatched the tray out from under a distracted patient. She peeked from her hiding spot to see Ty ducking behind a chair, a platter of food beside him. _

'_Oh, he is so going down,' Jazz thought, throwing an apple at Ty's head with a good amount of force. Tyler, who hadn't been expected the attack, was knocked in the head, causing him to fall once more to the ground. _

_Jazz grinned in triumph, dashing to his side, another bowel of beans in her hands. Ty was laying on the ground holding the side of his head in pain. Jazz heard him moan softly. Worried, she dropped to his side, the bowel of beans forgotten. _

"_Ty, are you alright?" She asked, touching his shoulder gently. _

_The boy coughed and rolled over, his eyes showing disbelief. "You just hit me in the head with an apple," he said hoarsely. _

"_You started it," Jazz countered, laughter evident in her voice. _

_Ty sat up, a hand still holding his forehead. "Like you were going to eat that jello anyway," he said defensively, although his lips were curved into a grin. _

_Jazz shrugged and nodded. "Maybe so, but you started it."_

_The two teens glared playfully at each before they both burst out into ecstatic laughter, leaning against each other and holding their aching sides. _

_Wow, I'm almost as clueless as Danny_, Jazz thought in astonishment. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen the obvious signs that Tyler maybe liked her. Ty's voice dragged her out of her thoughts.

"And J…Jazz you don't know how much it means to me that you didn't run out of here screaming after I told you, well you know."

Jazz couldn't keep the happy grin off her face. _I was right,_ she mentally cheered. But as that thought sunk in her smile faded. Did she return those feelings? Yeah, he was kind of cute. But she wasn't sure if she was ready to start a relationship. She had her grades, crazy ghost hunting parents, and her brothers' secret to worry about. Not to mention getting into college. She still couldn't decide if she wanted to go to Harvard or Yale.

"It's no problem," Jazz said, trying to quell her flustered air. "And don't worry, I can keep your secret a secret if you want." _I'm pretty good at that kind of stuff_, she mentally added.

Ty smiled, that cute smile, and said in a duh tone of voice. "Uh, yeah, that'd be good."

Jazz smirked slightly at hearing his smart ass tone again. "I was starting to wonder where that wit of yours went." She said jokingly, smacking Ty on the foot.

He reeled back his face scrunched up in pain. "Ow, that hurt," he moaned, rolling onto his side with a muffled groan. Jazz reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of Asprin and held it out to the boy. Ty looked at it and let his eyes slide to Jazz. "Why are you carrying around Asprin?"

Jazz smiled nervously at the question. "You know, for headaches and stuff," she lied. The truth was she carried it for whenever Danny came home hurt after a ghost fight. But there was no way she was telling Tyler that.

Shrugging, Ty accepted the pill gratefully and downed it dry. "Thanks." He sighed, and rolled onto his back, but he suddenly went stiff, a look of horror coming to his face.

"Uh, Jazz. How exactly did you get in my house?"

Jazz stared at him with wide eyes. "Your mom let me in…and she's still down stairs." The two teens stared at each other, both grimacing as they came to the same conclusion. Diane knew they had been up here alone for the past half hour.

"What should we tell her?" Jazz said, her voice lowering.

Tyler got unsteadily to his feet and he swayed in place until Jazz came to his side and grabbed his forearm. "We'll just tell her we were talking," he said fuzzily as the room spun around him. "Cause, that's what we were doing. Not like we'd be doing something else…right?"

Jazz got what he was implying and her cheeks flushed. "Right," she said, her voice coming out an octave higher than usual. Tyler smirked at her tone.

"But I don't think I should go down there," Ty added, falling back onto the bed. "I think my mom would notice something was wrong if I limped downstairs with bandages and a broken arm."

"Possibly broken arm," Jazz interjected, shooting him a grin. "And don't worry, we'll think of something to tell her tomorrow."

Ty blinked in surprise. Tomorrow was a day off for students, something about a teacher's in service. He was stunned that the girl wanted to spend time with him after everything she just found out. Strangely, she didn't seem affected by it at all. Almost as if she'd gone through something like this before. "You want to see me tomorrow?" He asked, still blinking in amazement.

"That's what I just said," Jazz pointed out. Before adding innocently, "That's not a problem is it?"

"No…no y…yeah that'd be gr…great." He stuttered again. Ty clenched his eyes shut. _Stop stuttering you moron_, he shouted in his mind.

Jazz smiled sweetly at him and headed for the door. But before she left, she bent down and pecked Ty on the cheek. "I hope you start to feel better Ty," she whispered, and then walked slowly from the room.

Ty put a hand up to his cheek where Jazz had kissed him, a stunned smile coming across his face. The boy threw one of his hands in the air yell/whispering, "Yes!" He fell back onto his bed, a humongous grin plastered on his face. Unbeknownst to the excited Shadowhunter, a pair of green eyes had been watching the whole scene from outside the window.

The eyes blinked once, before Skulker materialized around the eyes. "It looks as if I've found what Plasmius wanted." He said, chuckling evilly as he flew away from the window, already opening up his transmitter to contact his employer. It seemed that his job had already been done.

--

When Ty opened his eyes that night he found himself back in the black void where he had first met Blaze and the other Shadowhunters. He looked around his dark and misty surroundings, searching for anyone. He swallowed nervously when he found no one.

"Blaze," he called hesitantly into the mist. His voice echoed eerily back at him. No answer.

Officially freaked out, Ty limped through the darkness, hoping that Blaze was just messing around with him. As the boy took another step he realized his injuries were still there, even though he was dreaming. Ty stared down at his injured arm, frowning in confusion.

"This isn't good," the boy muttered. He looked around his empty surroundings, but it only made him feel worse and he had to force himself to remain calm. _There has to be a logical explanation for this…Oh god, I'm starting to sound like Jazz._

"You are correct, my boy," a voice thundered out of the darkness behind Tyler. The teen jumped and spun around to see Blaze floating in front of him, looking the definition of furious.

The man's raven hair was coated in orange flames, along with the rest of his body. His bright orange eyes were leaking with glowing fire. Ty shrunk away from Blaze, fear clearly evident in his light brown eyes. Blaze's appearance was down right terrifying.

"You told a human girl your secret!" Blaze snarled, his eyes glowing brighter.

"I…I didn't t…tell her anything," Ty stuttered, backing away from the enraged Shadowhunter. _Jeez, why am I stuttering so much?_ Ty couldn't help but think, as Blaze advanced on him, a snarl on his light blue face.

"Shade, no human is to ever know about the Shadowhunters," the man said, his voice tight with anger. Blaze reached forward and grabbed Ty roughly by the chin. "You have endangered yourself!" The man roared, his eyes flaming even more.

"Blaze!" Ty yelped, trying to pull away from the man. "Let me go," he shouted painfully, as the fire began to burn his chin.

The ancient Shadowhunter blinked a few times and the fire surrounding him dimmed until only his eyes were glowing as he released the boy. "Our secret has been guarded for thousands of years, and now a human knows about us."

Ty backed away, holding his burnt chin. "She won't tell anyone," he said defensively. He knew that it was true. "Jazz promised she wouldn't tell."

Blaze's hands fisted on either side of his body and he snarled again. "Humans lie. You'd be wise to learn this," he growled, his voice full of contempt.

Ty couldn't understand why Blaze would say that. The man had been human at one point too, right? He sure hadn't looked like it moments ago. Maybe someone had done something to him while he was alive. But the boy couldn't work up enough courage to ask Blaze about that.

"Jazz wouldn't lie to me," Ty said, truly believing it.

Blaze looked calmly at the boy, his face still showing contempt. He turned away from Ty, so his back was facing the young boy. "You're letting your feeling for her cloud you judgment. That is not wise. When the human girl betrays you, you will know I was right." Turning back around, the man's face showed only kindness and Ty felt a little freaked out by the ghosts' sudden mood swings.

_I think he's the one who needs counseling,_ Tyler thought uneasily, fingering his stinging chin. Blaze had looked on the verge of madness only a few minutes ago, and now he was smiling like nothing ever happened. It was beyond freaky.

"Enough of these unpleasant matters, I brought you here to give you a message." Blaze stated, as his eyes became distant. "Soon you will meet an enemy who appears to be a friend. Trust your instincts and they will lead you well."

Ty nodded, taking it all in before he paused. "Wait … what?"

Blaze chuckled good-naturedly. "Not the brightest are we?" He asked, his smile never faltering. "I'm afraid I can't tell you. Clockwork would have a fit if I disrupted the time stream."

"You know Clockwork!?" Ty burst out, his face showing confusion and disbelief.

"Of course, every ancient ghost knows of the time master. And even though I don't want to admit it, I am that old."

Ty smirked at the man's comment, glad to see he had seemed to have lost his schizophrenic air. But, before he could ask another question, mist began to swirl around Ty's midsection and he groaned. "Not again." The next thing he knew he was back in his bedroom, with weak sunlight shining through his open window.

Yawning, he stood up and walked to his window. It looked like it was going to be a great day. Ty stepped away from the window and gasped. He looked down at his feet and then at his arms and chest. The burns were gone!

Running to his full length mirror, Ty stared in amazement at his reflection. All of the red puffy burns were gone. The teen pulled his bandages off and grinned widely as he saw that his cuts were also gone. Excited, he held up is arm to examine it and was disappointed to feel pain shoot up his wrist as he jostled it. It was still swollen, and had black and blue bruises around the wrist bone. Tyler stared at his reflection, slowly realizing that the bottom of his chin was burned. But it hadn't been like that yesterday.

_Blaze hurt me … in my dream? But how? It was a dream_. He stared into his mirror, horror crossing his face.

"But he wouldn't hurt me badly. He's not like that," The boy muttered, pushing the dark thoughts from his mind. He pulled off the last of his bandages, wincing in pain as he slipped on a spare wrist brace. The one that he'd gotten from his attempted skateboarding experience a few years back. Ty decided to stick with his jeans and a white t-shirt. He took a step towards the door only to stop and look down at his arm. He really didn't want to worry his mom anymore than he already had. And seeing him with the brace on might send her into worry mode.

With a groan, Ty snatched his blue Independent zip up jacket off a chair. He slipped it on, already grimacing at how hot it was going to be with it on. _But I can't let mom see my arm. Being a little on the warm side is better than worrying her._ He nodded in acceptance, and trudged out of his room and down the steps.

He stopped on the third to last step and sniffed experimentally. _Is that_…sniff …_bacon?_ Grinning excitedly, he jumped down the last few steps and walked into the kitchen. Diane was inside, a bright smile on her face. She had three huge plates of pancakes, bacon and toast sitting on the table.

"Ta-da," she cheered, holding her arms wide in triumph. "I made breakfast," she said happily, clapping her hands together.

Tyler was so surprised that all he could do was stand there with his arms at his sides, mouth hanging open.

"Well, what do you think?" Diane demanded, hands on her hips.

The teen shook himself, a smile sliding across his face. "It's great mom!" Before she could reply, Ty plopped down at the table and started shoveling pancakes and bacon onto his plate.

Diane clapped once more clearly pleased with herself. "Isn't it, though? I woke up early, since I don't have work today, and made this wonderful breakfast, courtesy of this box." She held up a pancake box that was now empty. "It's amazing how helpful those directions are," she commented, tossing the box in the trash.

Ty chuckled, his mouth full. He hadn't eaten a good breakfast in forever. "S'good," he mumbled, his mouth still full.

About ten minutes later Tyler sat back, holding his bulging stomach with one hand. His mother picked up his empty plate, smiling fondly down at him. "I take it I should do that more often," she said, putting the plate in the sink.

"Yeah," he groaned, not used to eating so much in the morning. He made a move to get up but his mother put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ty, sweetie, we need to talk."

Swallowing nervously, Ty sat back down, thoughts swirling in his head. _Did she find out that I'm a Shadowhunter? And if she did figure it out, how did she? … Did Jazz tell her? _

"Ty, it's about Jazz," she said. Ty tensed, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "I think she's a wonderful girl and I approve."

The boy stared at his mother, eyes going. "I…I don't like her like that," he denied, feebly.

Diane chuckled at that, knowing her son too well. "Don't deny it, Ty. It's so obvious how you feel about her. And that's why you're going to see her today." Ty's mouth gaped open and he desperately searched for an excuse, but he knew it was no use.

"Alright, fine, you caught me. I guess I do kind of like her." He mumbled, his face still a bright shade of red.

His mother smiled knowingly and said, "If you do, then tell her how you feel. Sometimes the one you love can't tell how you feel."

Ty made a face and stood up, before the situation could get any weirder. "Uh, mom, I've gotta go meet Jazz." He pulled his combat boots on, ignoring his mother's teasing stare.

"Ok, sweetie. But aren't you going to be a little warm in that jacket?"

"No, mom, I'll be fine. See you later." He said and quickly slipped out the door. Once he was safely around the corner he slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out Clockwork's time medallion. After making sure no one was looking, he slipped it over his head and tucked it into his shirt so it couldn't be seen.

The boy ran a hand through his short hair, sighing with a mix of emotions. He was happy his mom liked Jazz and wouldn't mind if they dated, but that was just it. Because he liked Jazz, didn't mean she like him back. It wasn't like he was drop dead handsome. He was alright looking, but he definitely didn't have girls throwing themselves onto him.

_That would be kind of cool though,_ he thought with a small chuckle. However, the closer the young Shadowhunter got to the Fenton home, the jumpier he became. He was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. "Am I dressed right?" He mumbled, worriedly glancing over his attire.

"What if my breathe stinks?" Before he could think more on it, he pulled out a piece of gum and popped it in his mouth. _Just to be safe, _he told himself. Tyler wanted to make a good impression on Jazz's parents. Though he had heard they were kind of crazy with the whole ghost hunting.

_Oh, man. I forgot her parents are ghost hunters! Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe I should just turn around and head the other way right now._ He stopped in his tracks, glancing in front of him then behind. Then back in front. _But, technically, I'm not really a ghost, right? I mean a Shadowhunter is kind of different from a ghost … it has to be. But even if her parents do hunt ghosts, Jazz is important to me. And if I don't show up, then she'd think otherwise. _Nodding his head, the boy started walking again, keeping his hands jammed in his pockets.

_Besides, they can't be that bad, right? I mean sure, maybe a little eccentric, but they hunt ghosts … Which doesn't exactly make me feel any better… Actually, it makes me feel worse. _

He took a shuddering breath, and looked up at the large sign hanging from the side of the Fenton home. As Ty gazed up at the U.F.O shaped ops center on the roof, he shook his head.

"How did such a normal girl come from such a weird family?" He murmured. Taking one last deep breath, he walked stiffly up the steps and raised his hand to knock. But before he could he heard screams and shouts erupt from inside.

"Maddie, get the thermos!"… Boom, bang, bang, bang … "Dad, what's going on down there?!"… Bang, crash, scream… "Don't worry kids, I, Jack Fenton, will tear that ghost apart molecule by molecule!" After the shout, a green skinned ghost flew out of the house and into the sky and silence fell over the house.

Ty watched as the ghost disappeared behind a building, before turning slowly back to the door. "Well, here goes nothing." The Shadowhunter bit his lip nervously and knocked.

Almost immediately after he knocked, the door was thrown open and an insanely tall man leaned through the doorway. Ty could only stare up at the man, who had to be over 6'2. He was clad in a bright orange jumpsuit. Not only that, but the man must have weighed over two-hundred pounds.

"What do you want?" The large man questioned, his loud voice holding a suspicious tone.

"Um, I'm here to see, Jazz." Ty said, feeling incredibly small compared to, who he presumed to be, Mr. Fenton.

"Why do you want to see Jazz? Are you a ghost?"

Ty took a step back, surprise and fear mingling in his eyes. _Did he already figure out my secret? How is that possible?_

"Jack, dear, are you accusing another salesmen of being a ghost?" A feminine voice called from somewhere in the house. A woman appeared beside Jack. She had short red hair, and was also clad in a jumpsuit, except hers was a light blue color rather than the bright orange of Mr. Fenton. Her face was gentle and understanding. Ty liked her immediately.

Mrs. Fenton looked surprised upon seeing the teenager standing in the doorway, but quickly composed herself. "Jack, there's some fudge in the kitchen." That was all she needed to say for the large man to dash into the next room.

Maddie leaned over and whispered in Ty's ear, "Don't worry about the ghost thing. He says that to everyone."

Tyler couldn't suppress the relieved sigh that escaped his lips. His secret was safe … for a little while anyway.

"I suppose I should ask who you're here for," Maddie said, cheerfully.

Ty smiled, already taking a liking to the woman. "Um, I'm here to see, Jazz. I'm Tyler Matthews."

Maddie nodded happily. "Oh, so you're the young man Jazz has been talking about."

Tyler raised an eyebrow when he heard this. _So she's been talking about me, huh? Now I'm starting to think not calling ahead was a good idea._

"Really," Tyler said, feigning surprise. "I had no idea she even mentioned me."

"Oh, yes. She's been talking about you all the time. And she couldn't wait to go see you at the Hospital. I didn't expect you to come over so soon after being released. How are you feeling?"

Ty smiled sweetly, pouring on the charm. "Much better, Mrs. Fenton. Thank you for asking. Is it alright if I come in?"

"Why, yes of course," Maddie said, holding the door open. Ty walked inside, not surprised to see the room was in disarray from the ghost fight that had just occurred. Surprisingly, the inside look pretty normal, especially compared to the outside of the house. "Here, Tyler, why don't you have a seat and I'll get you some fudge."

The teen sat down on the couch and tapped his hand on his knee, nervously looking around the empty home. _Is anyone else home? _Ty thought, just as the door burst open and Danny came hurtling in. The raven haired teen looked in Ty's direction, his eyes narrowing. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't have a chance as he shivered and a blue mist escaped between his lips. Glancing around warily, Danny ran upstairs, not looking behind him once.

Ty watched him leave with a confused expression. _That kid gets weirder and weirder every time I see him._ After a few minutes, the elder Fenton's came back into the room. Maddie was carrying a tray of fudge and milk. She set it down on the center table and the Fenton parents sat down across from the boy, who smiled nervously at them.

"So, Tyler," Jack started, his voice sounding unnaturally loud. "Jazzy-pants tells us that you were the one attacked by the ghost about a week ago."

Ty, who had been drinking some of the milk, sputtered and choked at hearing Jazz's nickname. _Jazzy-pants! Oh, I am so not letting her forget this._ The blond quickly recovered himself and he cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, that was me."

"Jack, dear," Maddie said softly, touching her husband's arm. "I don't think Tyler wants to talk about that." Before Tyler could agree, Maddie had whipped out a photo album and thrust it onto his lap. She sat down beside the teen and started to flip through the pages.

She stopped at a picture of a young red headed girl running through a house with her diaper off and waving around her head. "This is Jazz when we first moved here," she informed, smiling. Ty smiled with her, doing his best not to burst out laughing. Maddie flipped to another picture of a slightly older Jazz standing at a podium a diploma in her hand. "And this is Jazz when she graduated from first grade." Mrs. Fenton flipped through some more completely embarrassing pictures, before stopping on the mecha of embarrassing.

It showed a sixteen year old Jazz curled on the couch asleep, a small stuffed teddy bear dressed like Albert Einstein clutched close to her chest. Danny stood in the background, covering his mouth with his right hand, as he laughed his head off. "And that was taken last month," Maddie said, her eyes shining with love.

"These are great, Mrs. Fenton." Tyler said, his voice sounding strained from holding in his laughter.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, leaning over to look at the pictures. "Jazzerincess would have a fit if she knew we were showing you these."

"**Mom, Dad**!" Jazz shouted from the top of the stairs, when she saw her parents showing Ty the family album. "What are you doing?" She demanded furiously, stomping down the stairs.

"They were just showing me some family photos," Ty said innocently, though his eyes danced with challenge.

She glared at him momentarily, before turning her glare back to her parents. "Mom! I thought I said I didn't want other people to see those pictures."

"Oh, but Jazz honey, these pictures are wonderful." Maddie said, soothingly.

Jazz frowned heavily at her mother, before grabbing Ty roughly by the arm. "You come with me, now." Not giving the boy time to answer, she dragged him out of the room and down into the basement.

"Ow, Jazz, bad arm! Bad arm!" Ty yelped, but the girl only increased her hold on his arm.

Once they were in the basement Jazz turned on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Arm. Let go. Please!" He shouted and Jazz winced, releasing his arm as she muttered a quick apology. "You said you wanted to see me, so I decided to come over." Ty said, holding his brace that felt like it was throbbing.

Jazz put a hand up to her head and massaged her temples. "I did want to see you, but not around my parents."

"Why?" Ty objected.

"Because of stuff like that," Jazz shouted, obviously referring to the photo album.

"What that? That wasn't a big deal. All parents do that at some point or another."

Jazz glowered at him and he hastily added, "But if that's how you feel, then I'm sorry."

The girl sighed, knowing she couldn't stay mad at a face like that. "It's okay." At that moment she seemed to realize something, "hey your burns and cuts, they're gone!"

Ty nodded, proudly displaying his uninjured arms. "Everything healed, except for my arm, as I'm sure you know."

Jazz grinned sheepishly at him while fingering his brace. "Fast healing," she murmured, almost too quiet for Ty to hear. "Just like Danny."

"What?" Ty asked.

"Heh, nothing, nothing," Jazz said quickly, dropping his arm. "Uh, why don't we go back upstairs and then we can go do something. Maybe a movie?"

"That's sounds good … Jazzy-pants," Tyler replied, grinning from ear to ear.

Jazz stiffened, her cheeks flushing red. "Say that again," she growled, her eyes narrowing.

Ty paused and seemed to consider what she said. He waited a moment before singing, "Jazzy-Pants! Jazzy-Pants! Jazzy-Pants!"

"Oh, you are so going to pay," Jazz screeched, flinging herself at the boy. Ty managed to duck under her angry form and dash back up the stairs, laughing his head off. "Get back here." Jazz shouted again, pursuing him up the stairs.

"I don't think so, My Dear," Ty countered, bounding up the last step. The two teens chased each other around the house, laughing and shouting threats at each other. Ty glanced over his shoulder to see Jazz still close behind him, but as he turned his head back around he somehow lost his footing and fell forward, landing painfully on his braced wrist. "Yow!" He cried, holding his arm with his other hand. He looked to the spot he'd tripped at, but there was nothing there.

He squinted his eyes, swearing he heard the sound of shuffling feet. As if someone had been standing there and snuck away without being seen. It felt as if someone had tripped him purposely. But, before he could ponder on it more, Jazz caught up to him and jumped on top of him.

"Ha, I've got you now," she said triumphantly.

"You wouldn't hurt a cripple would you?" Ty asked innocently, holding up his hurt arm with a pitiful expression. Jazz frowned before leaning close, a villainous smile gracing her lips.

"I won't hurt you, but I am going to make you pay." She threatened and before Ty could move she started ticking him unmercifully.

"J…Jazz" gasp…"s…top," the boy gasped, laughing uncontrollably.

"You brought this on yourself," Jazz crowed, tickling him more. The girl froze when she heard a loud, "Ahem," sound behind her. Both teen's faces burning red, they looked behind them to see Danny, his arms crossed over his chest and an annoyed scowl on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, referring to their embarrassing position. Jazz quickly hopped off of Ty and pulled him to his feet. The both were still blushing uncontrollably at being caught by Jazz's younger brother.

"We were just, uh," Jazz looked to Tyler, her eyes silently pleading for help.

"Uh, Jazz was helping me scratch an itch I had," Ty explained holding up his injured wrist. "I can't exactly do it on my own." _I guess being injured does have its advantages, _he thought cheerfully. Danny looked over the two suspiciously, obviously not believing their lie. But before he could object, Jazz looked down at her wrist and said in mock surprise.

"Oh, wow, look at the time. Ty, we better hurry or we're going to miss the movie," she turned to him and winked her eye ever so slightly.

The blond stared at her, his head cocked to the side. Jazz winked at him a few more times and he straightened up. "Oh, yeah, right the movie … that we're going to be late for … that we need to go see … right now … bye Danny." Jazz and Ty turned on their heels and scurried down to the first floor, dashing passed Jazz's parents.

"Bye, mom. Bye, dad. We're going to the movies," Jazz called as they headed for the door.

"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. It was nice meeting you," Ty added, a step behind Jazz.

"Alright, have fun kids," Maddie said brightly, watching her daughter leave. Once they had exited the home, the woman turned to her husband. "I think he's a wonderful boy, don't you?"

Jack nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, a good match for my little girl." Unbeknownst to the two happy parents, Danny stood at the top of the stairs listening to the whole thing.

"Not if I can help it," he growled, transforming into Phantom and flying through the roof. He was still suspicious of Tyler and didn't completely trust him, especially not around his sister. He was definitely not going to leave the two of them alone together. No way in hell.

--

"Are you positive, Skulker?" Plasmius questioned, as the two ghosts stood on the outskirts of Amity Park.

"Yes, sir. The hunter girl hurt him badly but he seems to be recovering."

Vlad nodded, pleased at the information. It seemed that the boy, or "Shadowhunter," had an encounter with Ms. Gray and had come out worse for wear. But Skulker had insisted that the boy was fine, which suited Vlad just fine. "Alright, Skulker. Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Skulker grinned maliciously, happy to earn his payment. "Yes, in fact I do. You'll be happy to know the boy has someone he cares for, a human girl."

Plasmius arched an eyebrow clearly intrigued. "Who?"

Skulker pressed a button on his wrist and a hologram appeared floating above the hunter ghosts' head. It showed Ty sitting on a bed as a red headed girl leaned over and kissed his cheek. The girl stood back up and Skulker froze the image.

Plasmius' eyes widened ever so slightly. "Jasmine," he breathed in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that the connection was purely coincidence.

"The whelp's sister. Odd, isn't it?" Skulker stated, rewinding the hologram to get a better picture of Tyler.

"Yes," Vlad murmured thoughtfully, fingering is goatee. "This may work to our advantage," he said, a vicious grin coming across his face.

"You think you'll be able to use the girl to get your pawn?" Skulker said, grinning as well. Vlad nodded, still staring at the frozen Shadowhunter. The boy looked completely normal, even though Vlad knew otherwise. He didn't know much about the ancient race but a little research would remedy that matter.

"I will watch him," the older half-ghost said suddenly. "And when the appropriate time comes, I will inform you. Until that time, here is the new weapon you wanted." He offhandedly tossed the weapon to Skulker who caught it, looking over it eagerly.

"Yes, well, good luck with that," Skulker said. And with that, he disappeared from sight, leaving Plasmius to stare with a contemplative expression out over the city of Amity. Slowly, but increasing in volume, he began to chuckle darkly, his vampire like teeth glinting off the light from the moon. Until his laughter echoed around the empty woods on the outskirts of the city.

**Authors Note:** Ok I lied about the Vlad thing, what can I say I really wanted to add him to the story. It's not my fault blame Vlad he made me do it! Well, I can only hope that you enjoyed that chapter. And hopefully I'll get more than two reviews. Oh yes, one more thing Shadow I hope you caught that little tribute I gave you up there (I really don't know why but…), I'm not going to say where so if you missed it you'll just have to find it. And trust me I'm still working on my revenge that I will get…eventually.

And sorry for the wait! Man do I hate visiting relatives on Turkey-Day, I swear if I have to hug someone one more time I'm gonna lose it.


	9. First Dates are Hard

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Danny Phantom, sad but true.

Review thanks to: ShadowFox123(no duh!), ArmoredSoul(also a no duh!), Fangirl101, Mario's Brother, and PunkMichPhantom!

And I would like to take this moment to recognize an extra special reviewer, ShadowFox123 who has become the new beta of this story. Everybody give him a round of applause…or virtual applause, whatever.

--Edited as of October 2008--

Chapter 9: First dates are hard.

Danny Phantom floated invisibly through the air, following the path of two teenagers. The boy and girl were talking and laughing loudly. Phantom scowled darkly at the blond haired boy, angry that he was standing so close to his sister. Ty leaned over and whispered something in Jazz's ear and she giggled, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. He made a mock hurt face and grasped his arm, causing Jazz to pat his shoulder making a face and murmuring what sounded like, "Oh, poor baby."

Danny growled, his eyes flashing a brighter shade of green. This was beyond wrong. He couldn't just float down there and punch Ty out, no matter how much he wanted to, because Jazz would notice the change in climate immediately. She'd been around ghosts long enough to know when one was around. Especially when she saw the boy fall to the ground clutching his nose.

_I guess I'll just have to do this the sneaky way_, Danny decided, grinning deviously. He had a plan that would surely cause Jazz to dump Tyler and never want to see him ever again. If all went well that is. Danny couldn't suppress the delighted chuckle that rose in his throat. No one messed with his sister and got away with it.

Ty and Jazz waltzed into the movie theatre around 12:56, both grinning broadly. The blond haired boy didn't even remember the last time he'd had such a good time with anyone his age. Let alone a beautiful girl his age. He was almost at a loss for words.

"So, what do you wanna see? A horror film, or a blood and war movie?" Tyler asked as they stood in line to buy tickets. He turned to Jazz and made a face. "Or are you one of those romance and field of flowers kind of girls?"

Jazz arched an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips. "Actually, I prefer psychology and intellectual films. But I doubt you'd like those." She paused before adding with a smirk, "Or be able to understand them."

"Ha," Ty laughed humorlessly. "That's a good one Jazz, you're hilarious." She rolled her eyes at him, mouthing what he'd just said and turning away. As she did, Ty felt a tap on his right shoulder.

With a confused expression, he turned around but saw nothing. _I could have sworn …_ He shook his head. And he felt another tap on his left shoulder. He turned around, annoyance clear on his tanned face. Although he didn't know, it his eyes were flashing from brown to gold as he desperately tried to control his rising temper.

Someone jabbed him in the ribs, and Ty bit his tongue to hold his surprised yelp. "Whoever's messing with me better stop if they want to keep their fingers attached to their hand," Ty growled, too low for Jazz to hear.

Ty didn't feel anything for a moment and just as he started to relax he was slapped across the face. His head whipped to the side, and he cried out holding his reddening cheek. He opened his eyes and saw Jazz, and about everyone else in line, staring at him with confused expressions.

"Uh … there was a, mosquito?" he explained, lying through his teeth. The strangers watched him for a moment before turning away. Jazz kept her eyes fixed on him in a questioning manner.

"Are you okay?" she asked slowly, her eyes meeting his.

He really wanted to tell her nothing, but her sharp gaze seemed to penetrate his soul. "Yeah," he denied, a little too quickly.

"No, you're not," Jazz countered, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I am."

Jazz glared at him and he hung his head, knowing he'd lost the battle. "Ok, fine I'm feeling a little jumpy." He said slowly, lying again.

"Is it your powers?" the girl asked, lowering her voice cautiously.

Ty leaned in close to her and nodded, keeping his face carefully blank. "Are you going to change?" Jazz whispered.

"Not as long as I'm looking at you," Tyler whispered back, causing Jazz to blush and lower her head. "When I see your face it gives me control." He placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head up. "So we need to stick together … close together."

Jazz's face turned cheery red, and she tried to control her emotions. She liked all the attention Ty was giving her and she knew that the boy did in fact, like her. And, worst of all, she was starting to think she might return those feelings.

"T-Ty we need to step forward," Jazz pointed out, quickly changing the subject. Tyler looked up, noticing they were the only ones left in line.

Ty straightened up. "Right, um, what movie are we going to see, anyway? I was thinking Dead Teacher IV."

Jazz shook her head, laughing. "Alright, if blood and gore is what you want, then that's what you'll get." She said, smirking at Tyler's excited expression. He looked like he was about five years old. Ty walked up to the booth and bought two tickets, and they both walked inside.

"C'mon, Jazzy-pants," Tyler said, grinning. "Let's go get some snacks." He dashed for the counter, laughing as Jazz glared daggers at the back of his head. The red head suddenly shivered as a cold sensation passed over her. She looked around, her eyes widening. She knew that feeling anywhere. A ghost was around.

"Hey, Ty," she called, walking briskly towards the tall boy.

"Yeah, Jazzy-pants?" he asked, reaching for the box of popcorn and drinks on the counter. Just as he lifted them up, the entire box flew into his face. The two large drink tops exploded, sending Dr. Pepper into his shirt and face. The large popcorn was right along with it. And the small bag of candy blew into a million pieces, chocolates raining down around Ty and Jazz. The pair stood still for several moments, each with a look of astonishment on their face.

Ty spit a stream of soda from his mouth and ran a hand through his sticky hair. "Man … that was weird. I guess they don't make these boxes like they used to." He shrugged, picking a piece of chocolate from the remains of the box. He offered it to Jazz. "Candy?"

Jazz took it, a smile on her face as she popped it in her mouth. "Thanks, um, why don't you get cleaned up?" She suggested, picking popcorn from the boy's hair and her own. She was now completely convinced that, for whatever the reason, a ghost was messing with them. But she thought it would be best to act like she didn't know yet. "I'll get some more food," Jazz added, pulling out some money from her purse.

"Ok. I'll be right back," Ty answered. He walked away from Jazz, peeling his jacket off of his arms. He grimaced at the uncomfortable sensation. "Great, what a way for the first date to go," he grumbled once inside the bathroom. He cupped his hands and splashed water on his face and hair to wash away the sticky soda. He reached his hand out and squirted soap into his palm. Mumbling angrily, he rubbed his hands together then washed the suds away. Once he was done, he put his hands on each side of the sink and glared at his reflection. He gasped. _My eyes are gold!_

"How long have they been doing that?" He whispered. The boy suddenly felt a cold sensation rush up his spine. "Oh crap, crap. No, no, no! I can't change now!" Ty gripped the sides of the sink, his knuckles turning white as he desperately fought back his Specter half.

_Just think of something good. Think of something that makes you feel strong._ Ty clenched his eyes shut and put a picture of Jazz's smiling face in his mind. She was laughing, her brilliant red hair flowing down her shoulders. Slowly, Tyler felt the icy tendrils creep away until they completely disappeared from his body. His tight muscles unclenched and he opened his eyes, expecting the worse.

What he saw shocked him beyond belief. He was looking at his human reflection. No glowing golden eyes. No blue skin and no dark blue jumpsuit. All Tyler could do for several moments was stare, his mouth gaping open. The teen couldn't believe it. He had somehow managed to control his transformation.

_It was Jazz,_ he realized, his mouth slowly closing. _Seeing her gave me control_. Ty backed away from his reflection. He checked himself one more time, and clearly satisfied with what he saw he walked out of the bathroom. His wet jacket slung over his shoulder. So he didn't see as Danny Phantom materialized where he had been standing moments before. The ghost boy was staring wide eyed at the mirror.

"What was that?" Phantom murmured in confusion. He had witnessed the whole thing, and had seen Ty's eyes flashing gold. Danny shook his head, impossible thoughts churning in his mind. Was it possible for Tyler to be a half ghost like himself? The white haired teen released a tight breath and flew invisibly out of the theater. He needed to do some research, and sadly, he could no longer mess with Tyler and Jazz. His sister had known he was there and the last thing he wanted was an angry Jazz on his hands.

Tyler was thinking hard when Jazz walked up to him, the same box of snacks that he'd first bought held in her hands. "Here you go," Jazz said, dumping the heavy box into the boy's arm with a sigh. That seemed to snap his mind back to the present and he smirked at Jazz.

"Thanks. Maybe we can actually eat these things now."

Laughing, the two teens headed for their theater and walked inside. They sat down towards the back and the movie started. "You've got great timing," Ty whispered in Jazz's ear, making her giggle.

"That's because I'm a perfectionist," she whispered back. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Nope. I couldn't possibly give away my care free sleeping in class hours for hard work. That would just be insane," Tyler said with a disturbed expression. Jazz tried to something else when someone from behind them made a loud shushing sound. The pair quieted down and sat in silence for the rest of the movie.

--

"Well, I thought it was … good?" Jazz said as the two walked out of the theater at around 4:00 p.m.

Ty rolled his eyes. "Don't try to make me feel better." He grumbled, crossing his arms with a pout. "It was three and a half hours of horrible acting, a lame story line, and all around pathetic evil zombies." Jazz stared at him, her eyebrow arched questioningly. "In other words, it sucked big time!" Tyler clarified, throwing his arms in the air.

"Oh, cheer up, it wasn't that bad." Jazz said. Tyler stared at her incredulously and she hastily added, "But, it was pretty bad."

The boy nodded. "The first step is admittance," he said, grinning deviously.

"And what's the second step?"

Ty held up a hand and waggled his finger. "Ah, wouldn't you like to know." Jazz shook her head and walked a few feet in front of Ty. The boy hurried to catch her, but Jazz walked a little faster so she still stayed in front of him.

"Catch me if you can!" The girl shouted, taking off at a sprint. Ty stared after her for a moment, shaking his head with a grin, before running after her.

"No fair," he shouted, his breathing already labored. "I've got boots on!"

Jazz called over her shoulder, her pace not slowing. "No, you're just slow."

Ty narrowed his eyes playfully and pumped his arms, so he was barely a step behind Jazz. "Boo!" He shouted, and Jazz yelped, trying to run faster. But Ty reached forward and grabbed her arms, gently pulling her close. Ty slowed to a stop, and hugged Jazz tightly. "Ha! I got you," the boy cooed.

Jazz smiled, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. "I guess you did."

"Do I get a prize?" Tyler asked hopefully.

Jazz tapped her chin thoughtfully. In one swift motion, she stood on her tiptoes and pecked Ty on the cheek. The boy blushed. "Uh, is there any chance of getting a second prize?" he asked, holding his cheek with one hand and Jazz with the other.

The girl twirled a piece of hair around her finger and pushed away from Tyler. "Maybe," she said with a wink.

She turned on her heel and began walking towards her home, Ty following a moment later. They walked up the steps to Fenton Works and stopped at the top. "So I guess this where I say good-bye." Ty said, sounding disappointed.

"Uh, no," Jazz interrupted with a smile. "Didn't I tell you? My parents invited you to dinner and I said you'd come." She popped the door open and looked back at Tyler, her face completely innocent. "Are you coming?"

"Do I really have a choice?" Ty asked slyly.

Jazz giggled and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the house. "No, not really."

Ty didn't resist her grip and let himself get dragged into the house. Though he wouldn't admit it, he felt slightly annoyed at the girl. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with her, quite the opposite. He just didn't want to sit down at a table with two ghost hunters.

Tyler shivered at the thought and slipped his jacket on. Thankfully it had dried during the movie. As the two teens walked into the house, Tyler noticed that it wasn't as quiet as it had been when they left. He could hear laughter coming from the living room

Jazz noticed the new sound too, and walked quickly into the room. She froze in her tracks, causing Tyler to bump into her. "What is it Jazz?" he asked, peeking over her head.

Inside the room, Ty saw the Fenton parents sitting on the couch, talking and laughing with another adult. He was older looking, with silver haired pulled back into a ponytail. He wore an expensive looking black suit with matching boots. Danny sat in a chair across from the man, and he did not look happy.

Maddie looked up and smiled at the pair. "Jazz, dear, come say hi to Vlad. He's here for the week." All eyes turned to Jazz and Ty and the boy felt Jazz stiffen. He grabbed her hand, and she blinked appreciatively at him.

"Uh, hi, Mr. Masters," Jazz said tightly, but only Ty seemed to notice.

Tyler stared for a moment, before his eyes went wide. _No way!_ "You're Vlad Masters?" he exclaimed, unable to stop his excited shout.

Vlad stood up. "Yes, that would be me. How do you know that?"

Everyone looked at Ty, who shrugged. "I'm taking a big business class." Jazz stared at him in shock. Ty didn't strike her as the kind of person to take a business class, or to actually pay attention in the class.

Vlad shook himself and smiled charmingly. "And who would this, strapping young lad be?"

Tyler grinned in excitement. He couldn't believe he was in the same room with Vlad Masters, the richest man in the Untied States! _Ok, I've gotta stay cool. Stay cool._ "I'm Tyler Matthews." Vlad stuck his hand out and Ty shook it, somewhat warily. He couldn't help but notice the creepy feeling that seemed to go along with the man. Tyler felt as if he'd met Vlad before, and it wasn't a good meeting either.

Jazz grabbed Tyler by the shoulder and dragged him onto the couch. The boy stared at her, arching an eyebrow at her actions. She glared at him, her eyes saying, 'Keep your mouth shut!'

"So, uh, Mr. Masters, what brings you to Amity?" Jazz asked, squeezing Ty's hand nervously. He looked over at her in confusion. _Why is she acting so weird?_ The boy looked back to Vlad. _Is it because of Mr. Masters?_ _I mean, sure, he's a little on the creepy side, but he's a billionaire bachelor. Who wouldn't be weird?_ Ty blinked and realized he had missed Vlad's answer and a big chunk of the conversation.

The young Shadowhunter looked up when he felt Jazz pull him out of the seat again. "We'll be right back," she said, dragging Tyler out of the room. Jazz released him once they were around the corner, looking over her shoulder for some reason.

"Jazz, what the heck is wrong with you?" Ty demanded.

The girl looked back at him and he saw several emotions battling in her eyes. "It's … it's just," Jazz stopped, knowing she couldn't tell Ty the truth about Vlad. Who knew what would happen if she did? The eldest Fenton sighed. _Wait, maybe I can't tell Ty the truth, but I might be able to show him._ "It's nothing," Jazz said with a shrug. "I just wanted to tell you that Vlad is a little eccentric, so don't be surprised if he kind of creeps you out."

Tyler stared at her skeptically, but decided not to push it. "Ok. But, now that you mention it, I was just thinking the same thing." He stopped, his eyes becoming distant. "You know, I could've sworn I've met him somewhere before. But I just can't remember where."

Jazz knew exactly where he remembered Vlad from. When he'd gone to the ghost zone he'd seen Plasmius. Only, Tyler didn't know Masters and Plasmius were one and the same. "Oh, don't worry about it," she said. "I'm sure it's nothing. C'mon, let's go back inside."

Before Ty could object, Jazz had grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the living room. Everyone was still in their same positions, and Danny was still glaring holes in the back of Vlad's head.

When Maddie saw the two come back in she stood up. "I'm going to go start dinner." As she left, Tyler noticed Mr. Masters watch her leave with a wistful expression.

Ty raised an eyebrow. _This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder._ Jack stood up and followed his wife into the kitchen, mumbling something about a before dinner snack.

Danny stared at the other half-ghost, clenching his jaw tightly. He'd seen Vlad's expression when his mother had left the room, and he did not like it. Danny felt his eyes flash green. His day had been horrible. First, his plan to break up Ty and Jazz hadn't worked. In fact, it seemed to have only brought them closer together. And after he'd come home from his failed operation break-up, he'd found Vlad sitting on his couch talking with his parents. And whenever Plasmius came to his home he always had a sinister meaning behind it.

Danny looked up, glaring when he saw Tyler staring at him with wide eyes. _What's he staring a-?_ The boy gasped. He forgot about his eyes! Danny quickly made them return to their natural blue color, before glaring at the older teen.

Tyler stared between Danny and Vlad. He knew there was something weird going on, but he couldn't figure out what. And, if he wasn't mistaken, he'd just seen Danny's eyes change from blue to green. _Did I imagine it? _

"So, Tyler," Vlad suddenly said, drawing the boy's attention. "What happened to your arm, if you don't mind me asking? Were in some kind of accident?" Although the question was asked innocently enough, Ty thought he saw something sinister in the man's eyes.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that," Ty answered slowly. He smiled forcefully. "I fell down some stairs. I'm pretty clumsy sometimes."

Vlad nodded, smiling lightly. "I suppose you and young Daniel have something in common then." He said, eyes straying to Danny, with a mocking chuckle. Danny scowled back at him, knowing only he and Jazz were able to catch his hidden insult.

Ty gave a confused shrug. "Yeah, I guess so." He looked at the glaring Fenton siblings, tilting his head to the side. _What is wrong with them? Why do they keep glaring at Mr. Masters?_ The tension in the room was so thick it could practically be seen, and it didn't look like it was going to get better. Nothing annoyed Tyler more than being left in the dark, and he was definitely there now.

"Uh, Mr. Masters," Ty said, hoping to calm the crackling glares coming from Jazz and Danny. "I was wondering how you know the Fenton's." Vlad turned his penetrating blue gaze onto Tyler, and the boy had to force himself not to shiver. It was that creepy.

"Well, Tyler, I went to college with Maddie and Jack and we've always kept in touch. Sometimes I even feel like the Fenton's are part of my family."

This seemed to set Danny and Jazz off even more, and their glares intensified. Tyler looked at the siblings questioningly. He hadn't seen anything wrong with Vlad's comment. He actually seemed kinda sincere when he said that last part. _What the heck is going on? _He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning intensely.

"But enough about me," Vlad said, waving a hand through the air. "You obviously know enough about me, I would like to know about you, Tyler."

"Oh, well, there's not a lot to tell, really." Ty mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward and uncomfortable under the man's stare.

Before the situation could get even more uncomfortable, Jack burst into the room and shouted, "Dinner's ready!" Instantly, Jazz sprang up from the couch and dashed into the kitchen, dragging Ty along behind her.

Danny leapt up from his chair, glaring furiously at the older half-ghost. "What are you doing here Vlad?" he hissed, making his voice loud yet quiet.

Vlad dusted some invisible lint particles from his flawless suit, and addressed the boy casually. "Like I said before, dear boy, I came to visit my old college chum and spend some time with his lovely family." He said innocently with a small smile.

"I know you're up to something Plasmius," Danny growled, balling his hands into fists. "And I'm gonna find out what."

"That's good to know, Daniel," Vlad chuckled. He walked passed the boy and patted him on the head. "It seems you're starting to learn." Danny stared after the man, before grudgingly following him into the kitchen. He just knew this was going to be one of the worst dinners of his life.

--

Jack sat at the head of the table that night for dinner with Danny and Vlad to his right, and Tyler and Jazz to his left. Maddie sat on the other side of the table, serving the meal which consisted of steak and mixed vegetables. The dinner had been unsuccessful in breaking the awkward air, and Ty was starting to wonder if coming here at all had been a good idea or not.

And the worst part was Vlad seemed to have taken in interest in him. Under normal circumstances, it would've been cool, but knowing that Jazz and Danny didn't like the man, made it more uncomfortable than anything else. The teen shifted in his seat, doing his best to truthfully answer the questions Vlad was shooting at him. _There's a fine line between curious, and freakin' scary, _Ty thought, stuffing a bite of steak in his mouth and chewing angrily.

Tyler set his fork down and rubbed his temples slowly. _And not to mention Jazz's dad has serious issues when it comes to ghosts. He hasn't stopped talking since dinner started._ And his booming voice, combined with Vlad's persistent questioning, had given Ty a very bad migraine.

"Ty, you ok?" Jazz whispered, leaning her head down beside his. He nodded without a word. This was almost as bad as a geometry headache.

"**Tyler**!" A loud voice boomed, causing the boy to jump in his seat, his head shooting up. "Did you hear me?" Jack Fenton questioned, already on his third or so plate of food.

"Uh … uh," Ty wracked his mind for something that'd he think the man would say. "You were saying something about ghosts, Mr. Fenton?"

The large man grinned. "Yes, I asked if you wanted to come with Vladdie, Danny and me down to the lab. And I can show you all the Fenton gadgets for ghost hunting."

Tyler swallowed. He didn't really like the sound of 'ghost hunting gadgets.' The boy looked over at Jazz who gave him an encouraging smile. "Ah … sure Mr. Fenton. That sounds great," Ty said, grimacing a bit.

Before he'd even finished speaking, Jack had jumped up and disappeared down the stairs, Vlad and Danny following at a slower pace. After receiving a nudge from Jazz, Ty went after them, trudging his feet heavily. The ghost teen stepped into the Fenton Lab, looking around in slight awe. He had to admit, it was more high-tech than he'd first thought.

Tyler couldn't help but shiver as his eyes landed on the Fenton portal, and its swirling green depths filled his vision._ I do not want to go back in there._ He jumped slightly when a large arm draped over his shoulder.

"Ah, I see you've found my pride and joy: the Fenton portal." Jack said, a wide smile on his face.

Tyler's laughed shakily, doing his best to ignore the urge to get as far away from the portal as he possibly could. _The last time I was in there I nearly died! And now I'm standing right next to the thing. Man, this day really stinks._ "It's great, Mr. Fenton," Ty forced himself to say, not meaning a word of it.

"If you liked that, check out this baby," Jack declared, whipping a device seemingly out of nowhere. The device itself didn't seem all that amazing. It was a small, square, box with buttons and knobs on the top. Mr. Fenton pressed a button on the side and, immediately, a small red light popped out of the top followed by a bored robotic voice.

"Welcome to the Fenton Finder 2.0 … Warning, warning, three ghosts detected in this area."

Jack stopped grinning and looked around as the machine continued, "You would really have to be some sort of nitwit to miss the ghosts."

Ty stiffened, instantly realizing the device was talking about him. He looked over at Vlad and Danny who both looked equally nervous. _Oh, crap, this is bad. What do I do? That thing knows that I'm a ghost! _

"Uh, dad," Danny said, his tone sounding anxious. "I think it's messing up again."

"Yes, Jack," Vlad jumped in. "There can't really be three ghosts here without us knowing it. I agree with Daniel."

"Ghosts are tricky V-Man," Jack said, glancing around the empty lab warily.

The Fenton Finder 2.0 said again, "Ghosts are not invisible. You would seriously have to be an idiot to not see the ghosts."

Tyler nervously clenched his hands into fists, sweating forming on his forehead. _What do I do? What do I do? Aha! _He tilted his head to the side, placing his right hand around his ear. "Oh, I think Jazz is calling me. I'd better go see what she wants." Before anyone could stop him, Ty ran back up the stairs, Danny and Vlad staring after him.

A loud beep filled the silent room, followed by the robotic voice, "Only two ghosts remain in the area."

When Danny heard this, his mouth gaped open. _No way. I can't believe it. Tyler really is a ghost._ He stared at the stairs, shaking his head numbly. The young half-ghost couldn't believe what he'd just learned.

Danny jerked his head up when he heard a scream erupt from the kitchen area. "Jazz!" he cried, sprinting for the steps. He ran up them, screeching to a halt once he arrived in the kitchen. His mouth gaped open. It was trashed. And his mom and sister weren't anywhere to be found. "Mom? Jazz?" he said nervously.

The half-ghost dashed into the living room and saw his mom lying unconscious on the ground. Tyler kneeled beside her, cradling his braced arm with an expression full of pain. Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Where's Jazz?" he practically shouted.

Tyler looked up at him, agony etched in every line of his face. "A ghost took her. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't. I-I'm sorry."

Danny backed away from Tyler, his face contorting with rage. Whoever took his sister was in for a world of hurt.

**Authors Note:** I am so sorry for the lack of updates lately. This chapter was particularly hard to write and I hope it came out well! You know the drill review please and thank you. Oh and one more thing check out my new story Fanfiction I'm sure you will like it.


	10. Alliances

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Review thanks to: ShadowFox123, Armored Soul, and PunkMichPhantom. Yeah 40 reviews! Does happy dance! I would like to take this chapter to thank everyone who has ever reviewed so get ready. Thank you Shadowfox123, Armored Soul, PunkMichPhantom, pottersparky, Silver Shadowbreeze, crimson shrouds, Mario's Brother, Fangirl 101, FlyingShadow666, Shadow Moss, Digimon Fan, Shining Zephyr, Pterodactyl, and Em Phantom. Whew that took forever but seriously thank you so much reviewers you rock!

Chapter 10: Alliances

Danny turned to Tyler who was sitting on his knees while holding his hurt arm; his face was stoic as he stared into space. A growing look of horror crossed his features as he obviously thought of where Jazz was and what she was going through. Suddenly two sets of pounding feet clomped up the stairs from the basement and Jack and Vlad appeared. Jack instantly fell beside his wife holding her shoulders gently while calling her name.

Vlad stood a ways back anger flashing in his eyes as he thought, _those bumbling dolts weren't supposed to be seen! Let alone hurt my dear Maddie, they better hope this works for their sakes._ Shaking himself from his inner monologue he knelt beside Tyler and pulled the boy to his feet. Ty let the man lead him to the couch where he collapsed his eyes still distant as he thought back only minutes before.

_After Tyler dashed up the stairs from the basement he heaved a sigh. So it seemed that the Fenton's ghost hunting equipment could detect him, great. Shaking his head the boy walked into the kitchen to see Jazz and Maddie cleaning up from dinner. Ty walked up behind Jazz and wrapped his arms around her giving her a backwards hug, "what'cha doing beautiful?" He asked playfully._

_Jazz turned and smacked him lightly across the cheek, "don't do that while my mom's watching!" He quickly let go of her making his face look as hurt as possible he made a pathetic puppy dog sound. Jazz rolled her eyes and handed him a couple plates of food, "here Lassie put these in the sink."_

_He growled softly at her but walked away all the same once he reached the sink he set the plates down earning him a smile from Maddie. He grinned back and walked to the table to get another plate. Just as he reached down to retrieve it a chill rippled down his spine and a moment later four ghost phased through the ceiling. One he knew instantly while the other three he wasn't so sure. Skulker took aim with an oddly shaped gun, but not at Tyler like he would have thought, the boy followed the ghosts' eyes and found he was aiming at Jazz._

"_No," Ty shouted. Time seemed to slow down as he dived through the air and just as Skulker fired Ty knocked into Jazz causing them both to tumble into the next room. Ty desperately tried to stop his spinning vision and as he looked up the three ghostly vultures swooped towards him. _

_But Maddie intervened shooting the three with an ecto blaster she pulled out of her belt. As she turned to take aim on Skulker the large robotic ghost blasted her with a pink ray of energy. The redheaded woman crashed into the couch before falling to the floor unconscious. _

"_C'mon Jazz," Ty cried pulling the girl to her feet. The two teens dashed for the stairs only for Skulker to appear in their path dark and menacing. The two backpedaled clutching each other tightly their eyes wide with fright._

_Tyler felt a searing pain cut into his shoulder and he looked up to see a ghost bird gripping him with its sharp talons. It grinned at him and yanked hard while flapping its wings; Ty was ripped away from Jazz and thrown into the stairs where he smashed his braced arm into the wooden banister. He yelped loudly and desperately tried to rise to his feet knowing he had to get to Jazz. But as he tried to stand his legs failed him and he fell back to the ground. _

_Ty lifted his head weakly only to come face to face with Skulker who grinned at seeing the boys' eyes fill with fear. He gripped Tyler by the collar of his jacket and lifted him up, "let's see if you can rescue your little girlfriend ghost child." He said menacingly before tossing Ty into the next room. _

_The teen crashed down beside the unmoving Maddie, cradling his hurt arm as more pain shot through it. He distantly heard Jazz shout his name before all was silent, "no Jazz." He whispered brokenly as he knew he'd failed the girl he loved._

"Tyler are you alright," a soft voice questioned pulling Ty back to the present. He looked up into the face of Vlad Masters; the tall man was watching him with obvious concern.

Ty shook his head before dropping it into his hands, "they took Jazz Mr. Masters and I couldn't do anything to stop them." The teen felt a hand on his shoulder but didn't bother to look up.

"There's nothing you could have done my boy," Vlad consoled. Although on the inside he was grinning maliciously as he knew his plan was working swimmingly.

Ty shook his head miserably, "no I could have done something." Mentally he added, _If only I could use my Shadow half then I could have saved her. But maybe I still can._ Tyler looked up a fire burning in his eyes. He had failed Jazz but maybe he could save her again but he would need a little help.

In one swift motion Ty leapt to his feet noticing that Vlad was no longer standing beside him he was actually no longer in the room. Looking around he noticed that Danny wasn't either; Jack was still crouched beside his wife her head positioned lightly in his lap. "It's okay Maddie everything's okay," the large man said unnaturally quiet. Tyler watched him sadly before walking into the kitchen but froze at the top of the stairs as he heard voices drifting up from the lab.

He crept stealthily down the stairs and stopped hidden in the shadows. _How fitting,_ he thought cynically peeking out of the darkness and into the lab. He saw Danny his arms crossed with his baby blue eyes narrowed angrily. Vlad was standing with his back to Ty but if he could see his face he would notice the man had on a calm smirk as his eyes danced with wickedness.

"Don't play innocent with me Vlad," Danny growled his fists clenching. "I know you know where Jazz is so tell me."

Vlad crossed his arms over his broad chest rather enjoying the teens' flustered air. "How would I know Daniel," he asked coolly. "I was in the lab with you and your father the whole time you saw me." Tyler cocked his head confused it sounded like the two were arch enemy's or something. Suddenly Vlad leaned forward and whispered low enough to where only Danny could hear him, "be careful what you say Daniel you and I aren't the only ones listening."

Danny's eyes widened as he understood what the man was saying he chose his next sentence carefully. "So you don't know who took Jazz?"

Vlad shook his head sadly, "no my boy I don't but blaming me will get us nowhere." Tyler nodded at his sensibility even though Danny had blamed him for his sister's disappearance the man had kept his cool and was obviously looking for a solution.

"So what do you suggest I do," Danny asked grudgingly.

Tyler took that as his clue to show himself which he did, "I can help with that." The two occupants looked up at the sound of his voice neither looking that surprised. Ty wondered about that but pushed the information to the back of his mind; right now he needed to focus on finding Jazz.

"How," Danny demanded.

Ty ignored his abrasive tone and turned to the abandoned Fenton Finder 2 on the counter, "sometimes it pays to use your brain." Ty reported earning a quiet chuckle from Vlad, "I figure we can just punch in whatever it is that can track ghosts and we'll find the ghost that took Jazz."

Danny rolled his eyes, "you mean their ecto signature." The boy's glared at each other each annoyed to no lengths with the other.

"Okay whatever," Ty sighed putting his priorities first. "What's important is that we find Jazz before anything happens to her."

"V-Man," Jack's excited voice traveled from upstairs. "Maddie's waking up!"

Vlad turned to the stairs but before he walked up them he looked back to the two half ghosts, "be careful boys. And bring Jasmine back safely I will keep your parents preoccupied." With that he was gone a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Well we better get started," Ty said holding the Fenton Finder at arms length as he examined it. But a thought suddenly occurred to him, he and Danny wouldn't stand a chance against Skulker and those ghost birds. But maybe if Tyler could change into Shade he might be able to rescue her. Only he was sure Danny wouldn't let him go alone and he couldn't change in front of him, if he even managed to change that is.

"Wait," Danny said holding up a hand. "I don't think we can take on the ghosts alone."

"So what do you propose," Ty asked listening intently.

"We get help."

Tyler arched an eyebrow at the dark haired teen's serious air, "from who?"

Danny shrugged nonchalantly, "I know a guy."

Ty eyed him warily but help was help and they seriously needed it, "alright bring him in."

"You'll need to leave he's a little sketchy around strangers." After a moment he added, "He will meet you outside."

Tyler shrugged and walked back up the stairs his mind working on overdrive; he needed to be in his shadow form to combat Skulker. But he didn't want Danny to know what he was or his mysterious helper, Ty sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _I hope Jazz is okay…but Skulker said that he wanted me to rescue her so he wouldn't hurt her right?_ He shook his head tiredly and glanced at a nearby clock it read: 7:18 p.m. _And tomorrow is a school day, wonderful, _he thought sourly.

Ty walked into the living room to see Jack standing protectively beside Maddie who was on the couch drinking a glass of tea. She looked a little shaken up but all around she was okay, Vlad stood on her other side also looking extremely protective. Ty figured it was because they were such good friends. He kept his mouth shut and was able to sneak past them without their knowing and slip out the door. What he saw startled him; Danny Phantom floated at the bottom of the stoop his arms crossed over his chest and his emerald eyes blazing.

"You're the guy," Ty blurted unable to control himself. He found it hard to believe that Danny personally knew a ghost when his own parents had sworn to destroy them. Especially not ghost enemy number 1.

Phantom nodded but kept silent. "Isn't Danny coming with us," Ty questioned.

"No he's staying behind to help Vlad," Phantom spit the name out as if it burned his tongue. Ty tilted his head about to ask another question when Phantom pulled a large bazooka out from behind his back and tossed it into Tyler's face. "Fenton said for you to use this," the ghost explained ignoring the boy's death glare.

"How do you two know each other," Tyler pressed. "His parents hunt you on a daily basis why would you hang out with him?"

Phantom narrowed his eyes and said quite forcefully, "if you want my help I suggest you stop with the questions."

Tyler met his glare but decided Jazz came first, "alright Phantom." Grumbling angrily to himself Ty whipped the Fenton Finder out and stared at it intently, he didn't bother to ask Phantom for his help thinking how would a ghost know how to work a ghost hunting device? He pressed a button and the screen filled with a list of names Ty trailed through the list mumbling random names, "Spectra…Youngblood…Ember…wait Ember McLain's a ghost!?"

He heard Phantom chuckle but didn't bother to look up at him; eventually he came to the name he'd been looking for. "Ah-ha here we come Skulker," Tyler said triumphantly clicking the ghost's name. The Fenton Finder's screen lit up and the robotic voice spoke up as an arrow appeared on the screen.

"Skulker is approximately four miles southwest from your current position," it informed. Ty looked up to see Phantom floating higher into the air.

"Hey," Ty shouted waving his hands in the air, "what about me I am so not walking there." Even from his place on the ground he could see the spirit roll his eyes before floating back to the ground where he grabbed Ty under the arms and lifted him into the sky.

_Don't worry Jazz we're coming and this time I won't fail you,_ Ty thought as the wind ruffled his hair.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Jazz glared furiously at Skulker from her place tied to a chair in some sort of abandoned train station. She shifted uncomfortably as the ropes cut into her wrists and ankles and glanced anxiously at two of the ghost vultures that were snoozing quietly on a couple boxes to her right. Skulker also wasn't watching her as he had a pair of robotic binoculars up to his face and Jazz wondered just what the heck he was looking for.

She pulled at the ropes that bound her hands hoping to find a way to pull her hands free. "Don't bother human," Skulker's loud voice rumbled his back still facing Jazz. "Even if you managed to free yourself you wouldn't get far."

Jazz's glare intensified, "you just wait when my brother gets here he's going to kick you butt," she practically snarled each word.

Skulker lowered his binoculars a feral grin sliding across his face, "oh I'm sure he will come and hopefully he won't come alone."

Jazz narrowed her eyes her mind working suddenly she gasped her face displaying pure horror, "Ty," she whispered her voice barely audible. She looked up anger flowing into her gaze, "you want Ty to come don't you?"

The hunter ghost nodding approvingly, "quick witted are you sure you and the whelp are related?" Jazz glowered at him seriously wishing she had her hands free so she could get in a good punch. "And yes you are correctI have a score to settle with him and your brother's pelt will be a bonus."

"You're wrong," the girl argued. "You haven't beaten Danny before and you won't do it now."

"That's where you're wrong foolish girl," Skulker said holding up a small device shaped somewhat like a football post. It was glowing green and Jazz could just make out two words on the side, 'Plasmius Maximus'.

Jazz gasped once more instantly knowing the nature of the device before her, "there's no way your plan will work." She countered not wanting to believe that her brother was in trouble the moment he stepped in the building and she had a feeling Skulker would know exactly when he did.

Skulker rolled his eyes and covered her mouth with a glob of green goop, "we'll just see about that won't we," he said leering. Before turning his back on the girl who struggled harder against her bonds she knew that Ty and Danny were in trouble all because of her.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"You have arrived at 'Skulker's' location thank you for using the Fenton Finder 2 and have a fudge filled day," the robotic voice said, as Phantom and Ty floated above an abandoned train station on the edge of Amity Park.

"This is it," Tyler said rather unnecessarily once Phantom dropped him back on the ground.

"Really I didn't notice," Phantom said dryly inspecting the rundown building before them.

Ty rolled his eyes checking the device one more time it showed a green dot in the farthest corner of the building along with three other red dots. "It looks like Skulker and the vultures are somewhere in the back," he said thoughtfully. Unfortunately he wasn't looking where he was going and as he stepped forward he tripped on a piece of wood and stumbled dropping the Fenton Finder to the ground where it burst into pieces.

"Smooth," Phantom commented peeking over the blonde haired boys' shoulder. "Now we won't know where they're at until they jump us," the ghost said matter-of-factly.

Tyler glanced from the shattered Fenton device and then to Phantom, his mouth hanging open he wasn't sure if he should be angry at the comment or embarrassed. _I can't believe I just did that,_ he thought in disbelief. "My bad," Ty said weakly giving a tiny shrug, "I hope Danny's dad doesn't mind he seemed really excited about it."

Phantom shook his head muttering something inaudible before raising his voice, "well we can't just stand around here. Follow me," he jerked his head in the direction of the building and floated forward. After a moments hesitation Ty followed looking worriedly over his shoulder.

The two walked into the rundown station and froze. If the outside wasn't creepy enough the inside definitely did it, it was as if someone had set up an extremely convincing haunted house inside of the building. Complete with spider webs, broken ceiling and walls, and even a few rats scuttling across the floor. Tyler shivered uneasily his breath billowing in front of him, "is this place scary or is it just me?" He whispered softly to the spirit beside him.

"It's creepy," Phantom answered curtly gazing around the supposedly empty building.

Ty felt the sudden urge to cup his hands over his mouth and shout "echo," at the top of his lungs but didn't dare. Somewhere in the building were several dangerous ghosts and he didn't want to take the chance of them finding him.

Phantom turned to Tyler a serious expression on his face, "we need to split up." He said and before Ty could object he continued, "this building is way to big to stick together." Mentally he added, _and I'll be able to find Skulker before Ty so there's no chance of him being hurt._

Before Tyler could so much as open his mouth Danny turned invisible and slipped through the wall. Ty stared after him growling under his breath softly, "just perfect." He shouldered the extremely large ecto-cannon and walked cautiously through a broken and cracked doorway.

He nearly tripped over a large rotting board lying across the floor and just barely managed to step over it. As he walked through the broken down room he heard squeaks and bumps coming from all around him, Tyler looked down and identified it as his boots creaking on the wooden floors. He rolled his shoulders trying to shake away his nervousness, this place was beyond creepy. He looked down once more and nearly screamed in fear, crawling over his boots and up his legs were tons of small beetle-like bugs.

Ty bit the inside of his cheek and jumped up and down desperately shaking his legs he hopped wildly over to the wall to regain his balance and shook his legs out more. Once the last bug fell away he sagged against the wall his chest rising and falling rapidly. He hate, hate, hated bugs. Ever since he was a little kid he'd been petrified of them. He wasn't even able to watch A Bug's Life in 5th grade, Ty shivered at the memory. "Damn bugs," he said his voice wavering a bit.

"Jazz better thank me for this," he muttered trying to calm his shaken nerves.

A loud crash pulled Ty from his thoughts and he jumped holding the bazooka out in front of him. He barely caught a glimpse of a flash of green feathers and, squeezing his eyes shut, he fired the gun randomly nearly falling over from the kick he received. Tyler heard a loud squawking noise and cracked his eyes open, lying on the ground a few feet away was a ghost vulture.

Ty dashed to the dazed bird's side a triumphant smile on his face; _I can't believe I actually hit him! _He aimed the weapon at the buzzard, which was rubbing his head and muttering in a strange language. "Where's Jazz," Ty said threateningly his eyes narrowed.

"Oih, kidz today no respect for their elders," the vulture grunted straightening his fez.

Ty poked the ghost bird with his gun, "if you want to keep the rest of your feathers attached I suggest you answer my question."

The bird cowered his small form shaking slightly, "the girl is five rooms back and to the right." Ty nodded and before the bird could move he thwacked him over the head with the bazooka successfully knocking him out.

"Thanks," he said and started in the direction the vulture had indicated. Moving slowly he had a feeling that Jazz wouldn't be alone. Exactly five rooms back Ty began to hear voices and slowed even more so he was creeping stealthily through the darkened hallways. He came to a doorway where a small light could be seen, the teen peeked around the corner and gasped.

The first thing he saw was Jazz, she was tied roughly to an old wooden chair thick ropes wrapped around her wrists and ankles and her mouth was covered by a glob of green goop. Floating above her were the other two ghost buzzards and surprisingly they looked alert. He felt rage rise up in him when he saw pain cross Jazz's face from the tightness of the ropes. But what shocked him the most was the appearance of a certain raven-haired teenager.

Tyler gasped, Danny was standing in the middle of the room his hair sticking up as if he'd just been shocked by a good amount of electricity. He had a shocked and pained expression and he looked like he wanted to get to his sister but Skulker was blocking his way a menacing glare on his face.

The hunter ghost reached forward and grabbed Danny roughly by the collar of his shirt, "not so powerful now are you whelp?" Skulker taunted as Danny struggled futilely in his grip.

"Let me go," Danny growled grasping the hunter's metallic hands.

"Oh don't worry my employer told me not to harm you," Skulker assured the boy. Before he threw him onto another rusty chair and tied his hands behind his back, "now tell me where the other boy is." Danny's eyes widened but he kept his mouth firmly shut, "I know he is here so it would be wise to answer me." Again Danny's mouth remained closed and Skulker pulled his arm back and clubbed the teen roughly in the side of the head.

Ty pulled back his breathing amplified how had Danny even gotten here? He was supposed to stay at the house, and where was Phantom? Tyler pushed the thoughts from his mind right now they didn't matter he would worry about that later. Right now he needed to somehow get Danny and Jazz out of there but how?

He looked down at the gun in his hands and made an 'oh' face. _I guess I could use this…duh_, he got the gun ready and taking one more deep breath stepped out of his hiding place. "Hey ugly leave him alone," Tyler shouted.

Skulker looked up a grin spreading across his face, "the triumphant hero to the rescue."

"Tyler get out of here you need to mm-" Danny started but Skulker blasted another ecto-gag over his mouth. Skulker then motioned with his arm and the two vultures swooped towards Ty their sharp talons flashing in the dim light.

Ty raised the gun and fired wildly but his shots were almost as bad as Jack Fenton's and each shot missed by miles, figuratively speaking of course. "Ahh," Ty yelled and dove to the side just barely dodging both vultures' attacks. He rolled head over heals but as he came back to his feet the gun flew from his grasp sliding across the floor to come to a stop at Skulker's feet.

"Oh crap," Ty muttered his eyes glued on the gun. Skulker's grin widened even more if possible and he bent down and grabbed the bazooka cradling it in his oversized hands. Tyler clenched his fists about to throw himself at the hunter ghost when he felt pain shoot up his arms as the buzzards grabbed him in their razor sharp claws.

The boy hissed in pain and struggled against the birds grip but they responded by lifting him into the air, Tyler growled and tried to kick at the birds. They chuckled at his attempts and as one threw him through the air and into the wall where he smacked painfully into it and fell to the floor knocking the breath from his body. He gasped for breath feeling knew pain rush through his chest to mix with his throbbing wrist but he forced it away and struggled to his feet.

Ty looked up tears stinging his vision and saw Jazz watching him her eyes also glistening, "I'm sorry," he mouthed not having the breath to speak out loud. Skulker stepped into his line of vision flanked by the ghost vultures, "nice try whelp but it looks like you failed." The hunter taunted and they buzzards cackled along with him.

"Listen," Ty gasped still trying to regain his breath, "you can have me just let them go." He knew it sounded a tiny bit corny but he didn't care all he wanted was for Jazz to get away and of course Danny.

Skulker opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the appearance of a new ghost this one Ty recognized immediately and his mouth gaped open. There was no mistaking the pale blue face and pointed teeth belonging to the ghost he saw talking to Skulker in the ghost zone. But him being here couldn't be a good thing could it? He had been working with Skulker at one point, Tyler shrunk away from the caped ghost, until his back hit the wall. He stared up at the powerful ghost feeling more helpless than a cornered rat.

"Plasmius! What are you doing here?" Skulker exclaimed looking shocked.

"Plasmius" glared at the hunter ghost and bared his fangs, "you know why I am here," he growled.

Skulker sneered, "You think you can stop me?"

The caped ghost smirked calmly raising his gloved hands that were now glowing a fierce magenta color, "I know I can." The two ghost buzzards struck first flying head on at Plasmius who, moving with amazing speed and agility, flipped out of their path while simultaneously blasting the birds with two pink bursts of energy. They squawked in pain as they were sent careening out of the building, but Plasmius didn't pause to celebrate his sights already set on Skulker.

Skulker fired blast after blast at Plasmius and each time he either dodged or phased through the attacks. Before Tyler could even register what happened Plasmius blasted Skulker out of the building as well as the hunter vowed, "I'll be back."

Plasmius turned to Tyler not even out of breath, "Are you alright?"

Tyler blinked several times not understanding a lick of what was going on, Plasmius was supposed to be the bad guy. If so then why had he helped him? The blonde haired teen nodded his head numbly not able to find his voice.

Plasmius nodded and moved over to Jazz and Danny, keeping his back facing Ty so the boy couldn't see what he was doing he reached towards the bound teenager's heads and phased his hand through. Instantly their struggles ceased and they fell into a deep slumber. "You're friends are fine," he said to Tyler who was still staring at him confused. "They seem to have passed out from the shock but I think they'll be okay."

Tyler swallowed several times before saying, "why did you help us?"

The well muscled ghost turned around his face emotionless, "Skulker should know I don't allow children to be harmed." Ty found that hard to believe not only because the first time he saw him, the ghost was going to let Skulker beat him to a pulp and because there was just something sinister about him.

"Right and you just expect me to believe that," Ty asked incredulously his arms crossing over his chest.

Plasmius gave the barest hint of grin before delving back into his Good Samaritan façade, "yes I do."

_Well there's logic for ya, _Ty thought annoyed. _But he did help us and I should know better than to judge someone…or a ghost by their appearance. I guess I'll trust him for now but if so much as laughs evilly I am sucking him into the thermos. _

"Okay then," Tyler said pushing himself away from the wall. He scurried past Plasmius and crouched by Jazz's side, reaching up a tentative hand he checked her pulse. It was there and he sighed thankful to be so close to her again. "It's alright Jazz you're safe now," he whispered.

Ty came around behind Jazz and struggled to untie the thick rope that bound her wrists but he soon found that they were too tight. He glanced up and saw that Plasmius was watching him but he really didn't care, the boy clenched his eyes shut and gripped the rope with his hands. After a moment of intense concentration it became intangible and Jazz's hands slipped through the rope. He repeated the process with her feet and then Danny once he was done he released a heavy sigh. That had been harder than he thought it was going to be.

"You know you could have helped," the boy panted.

Plasmius's lips quirked into a grin and he said, "Yes I could have." Ty scowled at the ghost across from him but decided not to push it.

"So Plasmius how do you propose I get these two home?"

The ghost smirked, "like this," and amazingly he split himself in two. Ty stared wide eyed at the two Plasmius's floating above him until his lips also curved upward into a small grin.

"Ok I have to admit that is kind of cool," the boy said as he pulled Jazz into his arms carrying her bridal style. One of the Plasmius's did the same with Danny while the other picked up Ty. Once everyone was situated they took to the sky and after a few minutes of fast flying FentonWorks came into view.

Plasmius set them down on the doorstep and merged himself back into one, "I'm afraid this is where I leave you. I would rather not go into the home belonging to ghost hunters."

Tyler turned to him, "I know how you feel believe me." The ghost nodded grimly and reached forward pressing the doorbell.

"I hope we meet again Tyler," Plasmius said then he faded from sight. Ty stared at the spot he'd been standing in, slightly disappointed. Sure the ghost seemed a little evil and annoying but he had saved his and the Fenton siblings lives. So far he really hadn't done anything evil, and everyone deserved the benefit of the doubt right? He was pulled from his musings by the sound of the door flinging open and a loud gasp.

Maddie stood her hand over her mouth, "Tyler," she breathed happy tears welling up in her eyes.

"I found Jazz and Danny," Tyler explained suddenly feeling awkward.

Before he could move Maddie leapt forward and grabbed him in a bone crushing hug nearly causing him to drop Jazz in the process. "You brought my babies home," Maddie sobbed into his shoulder. Tyler stood in her embrace, frozen not knowing what to do. "Thank you Tyler thank you I thought I'd never see them again."

Now he really didn't know what to do. Should he tell her that it was thanks to a ghost that they were safe? Or should he take the credit for it, he didn't know what he should say. Eventually he decided, "It is okay Mrs. Fenton they're fine." The woman released him a wobbly smile gracing her lips, Ty gave her a small smile in return and scooted past her and into the living room.

Jack and Vlad were already there, and when they saw Ty enter followed by Maddie with the still sleeping Danny they jumped to their feet. Ty sat Jazz down gently on the couch and as he was standing back up he found himself in another bone crushing hug. "Way to go Tyler," Jack boomed his loud voice almost hurting the boys' ears.

"Mr. Fenton," Tyler rasped his ribs cracking, "could you please let go I can't breathe."

The large man released him with an embarrassed chuckle, "sorry." Ty waved the man off taking several deep breathes to re-inflate his lungs. Next Vlad came up and clapped the boy on the shoulder an approving glint in his eyes.

"I see your mission was a success," Vlad said his gaze locking onto Tyler's.

The boy shrugged tiredly his eyes still on Mr. and Mrs. Fenton as they crouched beside their two children. He wanted to join them but something held him back and it wasn't only Mr. Masters arm. "What happened exactly," Vlad questioned as he steered the boy out of the room.

Will sighed quietly this day had been extremely too long and his nerves were still buzzing but he knew Vlad deserved to know what went on. So using as little detail as possible he explained what happened leaving out the part where he believed that Plasmius wasn't as evil as he first thought. Once he was finished with the tale he looked up with a questioning expression, "how did Danny get there anyway? I thought he said he was staying here."

Vlad shook his head slowly, "he did stay for a while but when you did not return he told me he was going after you. I suppose the ghosts found him before he found you."

Tyler nodded, that made sense he had left one of the ghost vultures alone. Maybe when it woke up it found Danny and brought him before Skulker, Ty had to admit the kid was brave. "So you said a ghost named 'Plasmius' saved you," Vlad suddenly questioned as he rattled around in the cupboards for a glass to pour some juice into.

Ty sat down heavily in a chair his head falling into his hands, "yeah he came just at the right moment. But he wasn't evil or anything I think he was trying to help for whatever the reason." Tyler missed the delighted grin that spread across Vlad's face, oh yes his plan was working indeed. Just as he knew it would, he had been manipulating people for years and was a pro at it by now.

"Not all ghosts are evil," Vlad said setting the glass down in front of the boy. "Most are yes but some just want to be left alone."

"Like Phantom?"

Mr. Masters seemed to think about it before saying thoughtfully, "well he certainly is a mystery. In my opinion he is neither good nor evil but does what he does for personal gain."

That didn't make any sense to Tyler but he was really too tired to care, he took a few sips of juice before setting the glass down. "I'm just wondering where he went, he was there we went in together and then he just disappeared…and not that kind of disappear either."

Vlad rubbed his goatee, "maybe he was working with Skulker." He saw Ty stiffen and forged on knowing he had him right where he wanted him, "you did say Skulker mentioned an employer. And it would explain why he just disappeared."

Tyler shook his head stubbornly, _Phantom wouldn't do that he's supposed to be the good guy right? He wouldn't be working with Skulker especially after he saved me from the hunter not too long ago. But why did Phantom suggest we split up? Was it just so he could get me alone and leave me for his little minions to deal with? It would make sense._ "But why would he go to all that trouble if he was the employer why didn't he just waste me when he had the chance?"

"I don't know my boy, but I think all the facts point to Phantom." Vlad said regretfully shaking his head.

Ty stared down at the table his sluggish mind working on overdrive he had no response to what the man had said. And what he found most shocking was he felt himself believing what he was saying but he couldn't find the words to argue.

Vlad stared at the boy triumphantly; _the seeds of doubt have been planted, _he thought knowing he was one step closer to success.

**Author's Note:** Whoa Vlad is a jerk! Don't you agree? I think I made this one long again, I am trying to do that one: because it is fun. And two: because I think long chapters are better than short ones. You like am I still on the right track with the story? Is Tyler likeable? Well I don't know these answers what are you waiting for review!


	11. Truce

**Authors Note: **Thanks to all three of you who reviewed I really appreciate it! And you guessed it you all get virtual hugs…aren't you lucky? And for some reason I feel that either the story is getting bad or people just don't want to review. I seriously hope it is the second option because it makes me feel like I'm not doing a good job, which is annoying! But I'll stop my little tirade I was just getting my long hours worth of therapy out in the open, yes it is causing severe emotional distress. (Not really but imagine how bad you'd feel if it was true.)

Disclaimer: No matter how much I beg, Butch just keeps telling me no. Just yesterday he told me that Danny was his idea and that I should stop asking for ownership. He even had the nerve to set a deranged Klemper on me, can you believe it?! Curse you Butch, curse you!

Chapter 11: Truce

Tyler sat on the edge of the couch that Jazz was lying on, unfortunately neither of the Fenton children had woken up yet and it had been about three hours since he brought them home. Maddie and Jack had gone into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee to keep themselves awake, and the boy was alone. He stared sadly down at Jazz's prone form and brushed a piece of hair from her face, "you know if it is possible for you to look pretty when you're unconscious you are doing it," he told the sleeping girl.

He sighed and leaned back into the cushions his tired eyes at half mast. He had called his mother about an hour ago and she had agreed to him staying the night, and both his mother and Maddie had spoken for quite a long time. About what he didn't know but it must have been good if it lasted so long.

Ty was currently dressed in his jeans and an almost too small sized shirt from Danny's closet, his mother had insisted that it was alright for him to wear. And after much persuading she had gotten the boy to put it on. It was almost identical to Danny's usual red and white shirt except instead it was dark blue and white, Ty reached up absentmindedly and grasped onto the time medallion that still hung concealed under the shirt. He felt reassured to know it was there, something about it just held a sense of importance.

Just as the boy was starting to drift off he felt something shift beside him followed by a sleepy voice, "Ty?" The teen looked down to see Jazz staring at him with dull eyes she looked on the verge of falling asleep again.

"Hey Jazzy-pants," Tyler greeted starting to look a little more alert. It was about ten thirty at night and after his little adventure he was beyond tired. "How are you feeling?"

Jazz didn't even bother to lift her head as she answered fuzzily still half asleep, "I'm okay how is Danny?"

"He's fine, still sleeping though."

"And my parents are they okay?" Jazz persisted forcing her eyes to stay open.

Tyler couldn't help but give a small chuckle at her persistence, "they're fine everyone is fine." Jazz nodded slowly her muscles becoming less tense, if she had been more alert she would have asked about how they got here but she wasn't really thinking straight. "You're lucky to have such loving parents," Ty said looking into the distance as he seemed lost in memory. "Your dad has been sitting here for the past three hours Maddie just got him to move," he chuckled slightly. Mentally he added _I wish my dad could be like that._

"Ty what happened to your dad," Jazz mumbled.

Ty stared down at her wondering why she would ask such a question at a time like this, "why do you ask," he said stiffly his lanky frame straightening.

"You never talk about him and I've always wandered," the girl said yawing widely. Tyler seriously considered not answering her question, it was a touché subject and he doubted she would even notice if he said nothing. But a part of him felt like telling her, just to get it off his chest.

"Well Jazz sometimes things just don't work out they way you wish they would," he sighed tiredly running a hand through his hair. "It was about two years ago and my mom and dad had been having problems. They were always fighting and arguing, I hardly ever saw my dad and when he was around he didn't even seem like a dad. I felt like I hardly knew him he was a stranger to me. But one morning I came downstairs and I heard my mother crying. I managed to get out of her that dad had left and wasn't planning on coming back, he didn't even say goodbye to me. He just up and left, the only thing I've got left of him are these," he reached down and patted his combat boots lying beside the couch. "Stupid bastard left them in his room but I decided to keep them instead of throwing them out 'cause I always liked 'em."

Tyler paused feeling a lump rising in his throat he swallowed it down, the last thing he wanted was for Jazz to think he cared that his dad left. It bothered him yes, but he had to act like it didn't bother him. He was the man of his house after all and had to keep a straight face.

"Dad always wore them and he promised me that one day he'd get me my own but yeah," Ty chuckled humorlessly, "you see how that turned out. And I haven't seen him since, haven't heard from him or even got a birthday card from him, but what can I expect? He isn't someone who keeps his promises," the boy finished bitterly.

Jazz looked at him pity clearly in her gaze, "that's awful," she whispered. Even in her tired state she felt his pain and wished she could comfort him in some way. Now she understood why he seemed so angry all the time.

Tyler shrugged biting back his strong emotions, pure unbridled rage being the main one, "it's not a big deal Jazz. I've been doing just fine on my own." He felt a small clammy hand grasp his own and looked back at Jazz.

"Sometimes it is okay to let your feelings out," she told him. "If you hold too much in it can hurt."

Ty patted her gently on the shoulder, "go to sleep Jazz," he told her. She nodded and in moments was snoring quietly; Tyler threw a blanket over her and tucked it around her form. He stood up and turned away from her hoping to find somewhere close to sleep, possibly the ground.

"Is that true?" A raspy voice asked and Ty looked over to see Danny had also woken up and he looked more alert than Jazz had.

"Is what true," Ty questioned his tone hinting that he really wasn't in the mood for this.

"What you said about your dad," Danny answered propping himself up on his elbows.

Tyler sighed, what was up with these Fenton kids? Didn't they know anything about privacy and when to not ask questions? "Yeah kid, I wish it wasn't but it is," he dropped heavily to the floor leaning his back against the couch. He pulled his knees up to his chest his socked feet sliding underneath him.

"Oh," Danny mumbled pity showing in his gaze. Suddenly he straightened up at realizing where he was and how he got there, "Wait Tyler how did we get here? I don't really remember anything."

_Should I tell him?_ Ty couldn't help but think and he averted his gaze to hide his indecision. He knew Danny probably wouldn't like hearing that Phantom had abandoned them and they'd then been saved by an evil looking vampire like ghost. "Well um it is kind of a long story," Ty murmured stalling for time.

"Like I'm going anywhere," Danny countered starting to feel more awake.

Tyler couldn't keep the smirk off his face, the kid definitely had guts. "Alright then what's the last thing you remember?"

Danny scratched the back of his head and said thoughtfully, "it was when the birds threw you into the wall and then you said something but I can't remember what exactly."

The blonde teen nodded knowing that was a perfect place to start, "well it went like this. Skulker and the ghost birds were coming towards me all slow because they knew I was cornered; and me, well to tell you the truth I was freaking out. Just as I pressed myself as flat against the wall as I could I felt something jab me in the side, it came from my pocket. So I stuck my hand in and lucky for me I had a small ecto-gun in there. Don't ask me how because I honestly don't know," Tyler took a deep breath before continuing on.

"Anyway the ghosts didn't see me pull the gun out and just as they came into range I pulled it out from behind me and starting firing like crazy. Everything else just kind of happened in a blur, one moment I was cornered the next all the ghosts are lying on the ground moaning in pain. Believe me I was to say the least stunned, but I knew I had to get you and your sister out of there so I untied you and hauled you both out of their like Hell was following us. After that I got a cab back to your house and here we are," the teen raised his hands in a dramatic flare.

He prayed that his story sounded plausible when to him it sounded like a huge lie. But luckily for him Danny nodded slowly and laid his head back down seeming satisfied. The two sat in silence for a while each lost in their own thoughts. Ty's mostly consisted of how annoying it was that he was a pretty good liar, he couldn't help but wonder when it happened. He shook his head dismissing his troublesome thoughts.

When Danny spoke up, "thanks," he said not meeting Tyler's eyes.

"Excuse me," Ty couldn't help but ask in disbelief.

"I said thanks for saving me and Jazz," he added.

"Well you're…er…welcome," Ty said awkwardly shifting his feet. The two fell into yet another uncomfortable silence where they both wracked their brains for something to say, Tyler stood arching is back in a graceful stretch before excusing himself from the room. He was a little stunned, Danny hadn't seemed to like him that much but now he had seemed almost friendly. _I guess saving his life had something to do with it,_ Ty mused.

He walked into the kitchen to see Jack, Maddie and Vlad inside murmuring quietly to each other and drinking coffee. "Hey Danny's up," he informed them and was just able to duck out of the way as Jack and Maddie stormed past him and into the other room.

"Dear boy I didn't know you were still up," Vlad exclaimed setting his mug down.

And Tyler wondered not for the first time why the man took so much interest in him, it was a little on the creepy side he had to admit. The teen couldn't bite down the yawn that rose in his throat and once it died away he said, "Yeah, was waiting for Jazz to wake up."

Mr. Masters nodded sympathetically and handed the boy a new cup of steaming liquid, "here this should make you feel better." Tyler took it and sipped it hesitantly enjoying the sharp tang of black coffee as it ran down his throat. What some people found bitter and repulsive Ty thought black coffee was the best kind to drink, especially if you wanted an energy boost.

"Thanks," the teen said sitting down at the table again, rubbing the back of his neck he really needed to get some sleep.

"Are you sure you don't want to get some sleep, son," Mr. Masters questioned stirring his own coffee.

Tyler clenched his jaw to bite back a sharp retort instead he forced himself to say, "No I am fine Mr. Masters besides I don't really feel like sleeping right now."

"Alright my boy," Vlad relented, "if you want I could fix you something to eat." The man offered looking and sounding very much like a worried father.

The boy felt a little awkward from all the attention he was getting, and strangely it kind of felt like the bachelor could make a reasonably good father. On top of that he was surprised that the richest man in the United States was capable of cooking, "You can cook," he couldn't stop his mouth from saying.

"Yes I took a class in college and found it very useful," Vlad answered with a quiet chuckle. "I can make a delicious file minion."

"That's okay Mr. Masters I think I'm just going to go get some air," Ty excused himself walking from the room with a shake of his head.

As he past the living room he saw Danny being smothered by his parents, it was kind of funny to see the kids' messy black hair poking out from between his parents hugs. Tyler stood by the wall, leaning against it slightly; he couldn't keep a small grin from coming across his face. Shaking his head he turned away from the scene, remembering that Jazz had shown him the way to the ops center earlier. He went upstairs and eventually found the ladder leading to the roof he crawled up and out into the open air.

Tyler took a deep breath enjoying the cool breeze that filled his lungs he sat down holding onto the rail with one hand. The boy looked out over the city enjoying the view, he may have been afraid of bugs but heights weren't really a big deal to him. It felt good to finally get some alone time he really needed time to think. He'd been running on steam for the past several days and wanted nothing more to crawl into bed and sleep for the next two years.

But the boy knew that wouldn't solve his problems, like his dad always used to say you couldn't run away from his problems he had to face them head on. Ty scoffed and shook his head, "Wow I must be desperate if I'm actually listening to his advice."

Ty didn't know how long he sat there staring into space, long enough for his face to go slightly numb from the cold wind he supposed maybe fifteen minutes or so.

"Hey," an echo-y voice spoke up suddenly causing Tyler to jump. He looked up to see Danny Phantom watching him with that calm expression.

Tyler felt several emotions rise up in him and couldn't help but think of what Vlad had said earlier. _What if he was right? What if Phantom is evil? _Ty shook his head and pushed his thoughts away, "hey," he answered nodding his head in acknowledgment.

Phantom floated a little closer, "listen Tyler is it?" When the blonde haired teen nodded the spirit continued, "Look Tyler I'm sorry about ditching you back there," Ty said nothing so the ghost forged on. "But I see you didn't really need my help."

Ty couldn't suppress the scoff that rose in his throat, "yeah I'm pretty good at surviving near-death experiences." He stared ahead not even glancing at the ghost floating above him; if he had he would have seen the spirit flinch a guilty look crossing his face. Ty kept up the stony silence doing his best to not get angry but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop himself from glaring up at Phantom and asking venomously, "Why did you leave anyway?"

If it was possible for a ghost to look anxious Phantom was doing it, "I had something to do," the spirit stuttered his mouth set in a firm line.

Now Tyler was angry he leapt to his feet balancing lightly on the breezy platform, he pointed an accusing finger and said, "What?" He demanded feeling as if his eyes were burning with pure rage, "what could you have been doing that was more important?"

Phantom opened his mouth to answer but Ty cut him off he was on a roll now, "I needed your help, Jazz needed your help and Danny needed your help. I thought you two were supposed to be buds, but when he needed you, you hung him out to dry. Now tell me "hero" what was so important?"

Ty didn't care that he was being so rude to Phantom, he was pretty sure the ghost wouldn't hurt him and didn't feel the need to be nice. All he wanted was to hurt him and maybe he couldn't do that physically but he was positive he could with words.

The white haired ghost stared at the teen in front of him his eyes shining with, what looked like shame? Phantom sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I can't tell you," he said quietly.

Tyler stared at him truly at a loss for words he felt like laughing, shouting and stomping around, and crying. But he did neither instead he backed up a few feet until he was leaning against the windows of the ops center and slid down to his bottom, where he propped his chin up on his knees and fell into silence.

Phantom floated warily forward not knowing what to expect once he was close enough Ty heard him sigh, "Look I really am sorry."

"Me too," Ty said. Of course he wasn't referring to what had happened early he was referring to his situation. He couldn't stop thinking of how helpless he had been, he was supposed to have a great power but he couldn't even defend himself.

If it wasn't for Plasmius-_ no I can't keep thinking about this I've got to move on…maybe if I can find Plasmius he can help me,_ Tyler nodded his head a small flare of hope blooming in his chest.

Phantom's eyebrows came together and he tilted his head, "what do you mean?"

But Tyler wasn't listening a plan was forming in his mind; _Plasmius was powerful maybe he could teach me how to control my powers. All I've got to do is find him-_ his thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of someone tapping him on the head.

"What," he asked looking up into the face of Phantom.

"I asked what do you mean," the ghost repeated.

Tyler stared at him confused before getting what he was asking, "nothing it is nothing." He stood up keeping his face eerily calm, "now ghost," Ty was satisfied to see Phantom flinch ever so slightly. "I'm going back inside and I have only one thing to say. I'll stay out of your way and you can stay out of mine deal," he didn't wait for the ghost to answer. "Alright good night," icicles practically forming on his words.

With that he turned and walked back into the ops center not glancing behind him once. He slammed the door behind him and climbed the ladder down back to the second floor of the house; the boy shook out his head and dropped it against the wall with a quiet thump. _Just breathe, just breathe you can't let Jazz see you like this,_ Ty chanted to himself and after a few moments was able to regain his composure.

Ty walked down the stairs and into the living room surprised where he stopped surprised to see Jazz sitting up awake and Danny nowhere to be seen.

Jazz saw him come into the room and grinned weakly at him, Tyler gave her a tight grin back only because he was still angry from his shouting match with Phantom. "So I'm guessing you're okay," he said coming to her side.

She nodded tiredly and Ty resisted the urge to hold her close to him. She just looked so fragile and he couldn't bare it if anything happened to her. _That is why I have to find Plasmius if he can teach me how to use my powers I can protect Jazz,_ Ty said to himself.

"Well I'm glad to hear it," he said laying a hand gently on her shoulder. And that was when he noticed the other three occupants in the room watching them in amusement. Ty and Jazz both turned a bright shade of red at Jack, Maddie and Vlad's knowing looks, and both teenagers looked away.

Maddie seemed to pick up on their nervousness and spoke up, "Uh Jack now that the kids are awake why don't we go to sleep I am exhausted." Jack nodded tiredly as he headed upstairs pausing only to put a hand on Ty's shoulder and murmur another thank you. With that both Fenton parents disappeared upstairs.

Jazz glared pointedly at Mr. Masters her eyes practically saying "Get out now!" and Ty looked at her quizzically.

"I'll just take my leave then," Vlad said lazily walking from the room only for Tyler to call him back. Giving Jazz a sheepish grin he walked to the billionaire's side and led him into the next room, "what is it dear boy?"

Ty looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening before saying, "I need to ask you something." Vlad only raised one eyebrow as Ty forged on, "You know that ghost I told you about."

Vlad nodded and said, "Plasmius or Skulker?"

"Plasmius," the boy said. "I…I was hoping you could help me…find…him," he finished meekly.

Mr. Masters stared at him an unreadable smile spreading across his face before it became a questioning one, "Why would you want to find him?"

Tyler shuffled his feet suddenly feeling self-conscious, "well I just wanted to thank him for everything," he mumbled only half lying.

Vlad shook his head and said regrettably, "I'm sorry my boy I wouldn't know how to find him." Tyler's face fell and he added, "But maybe you won't have to find him."

The boy nodded his demeanor brightening a bit, "Maybe," he agreed an idea popping into his head. "Thanks Mr. Masters," he said grinning he walked back to Jazz only to pause at the entrance of the room. Jazz was lying back on her side her eyes closed holding a small teddy bear dressed as Albert Einstein in her arms, Ty wrapped the blanket around her and stepped back.

_Everyone's asleep, the house is quiet, perfect time to implement my plan,_ he thought heading to the front door. He slipped outside not really bothering to be sneaky, only because it was around eleven thirty at night and pretty much no one was awake. Ty sat down on the stoop his eyes closed in deep concentration.

After a good ten minutes of thinking of Jazz's smiling face he felt a shift within his chest and couldn't keep a giddy grin from sliding across his face. He felt the need to say something heroic said in a deep dramatic voice eyes still shut, "Shade on." And in a flash of light his spectral form floated out of his human body so it looked like the boy had fallen asleep on the steps.

"Oh man I am so starting to get the hang of this," he said cheerfully floating into the sky somewhat shakily. The specter kept his eyes open just in case that psycho hunter came out of nowhere, in which case he would turn and run for his life.

He wasn't exactly sure if his plan would work but hey, it was worth a try right? Tyler went a little higher into the air so his shadow was silhouetted on the buildings below him, _so I guess I just fly around until I run into him. Or I shout his name hysterically until I either get shot by a ghost hunter or find him…man great options. _About half an hour later he had flown around the entire perimeter of the town and had found no sign of Plasmius, and he was seriously annoyed.

"Alright this is lame," he commented as he sat atop a stone gargoyle on one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"Whoever said flying was fun was a complete nitwit," the specter commented dryly sitting his head on the palm of his hand. After the first ten minutes of flying aimlessly about he'd completely lost interest, as most teenage boys' would. By minute fifteen he was practically grinding his teeth. And at half an hour he had pretty much fallen into a lapse of silence. _I really hope my eye isn't twitching because I think it is_, Ty thought angrily.

He yawned and stretched wondering not for the first time what time it was when a sound interrupted him mid yawn. It was a sigh a very familiar sigh, Ty leaned over and peered around the side of the building to see none other than Inviso-Bill himself, his head resting on his hand as he gazed out over the city.

Shade's first impulse was to jump into the air and fly away with his tail between his legs, but there were only two problems with that. One he didn't have a tail to stick between his legs, and two he was tired of running away. So feeling bold Ty drawled out, "Rough day?"

The white haired teenage ghost jumped his green eyes searching, they came to rest on Ty and narrowed dangerously, "What are you doing here?!"

Shade flipped his legs over the gargoyle so he was facing Phantom, and held up his hands, "Hey chill can I sit up here and contemplate the meaning of the universe? Or is it just one of those no evil ghosts allowed kind of thing?"

Phantom stared at him confused before something flickered in his eyes and he looked less tense, "You're not evil are you?" He asked slowly watching Shade closely.

Shade gave a small grin, "about as evil as you my friend," he admitted happy that maybe Phantom wouldn't try to beat him to a pulp at least for now.

The white haired ghost nodded turning his gaze back out over the city, "so what's your name?" The question came as a surprise to Tyler who had been expecting to sit in stony silence until one of them decided to leave in a totally bad ass-y kind of way. But it seemed that it wasn't so, the boy considered not answering after all in human form he was mad at Phantom, but he knew as a human Phantom thought he was helpless so he couldn't hurt him. But as a ghost Phantom had all the rights in the world to beat the crap out of him and suck him into the thermos.

So it was in Shade's best interests to be as polite as possible, self preservation and all that.

"Shade," he answered curtly scuffing his booted feet against the brick of the building. "Come here often," Shade asked doing his best to make conversation.

Phantom looked over at him looking half annoyed and half amused, "I come here to think."

Tyler nodded, "so I'll take that as a yes." _I wonder if all ghost's conversations are this lively,_ he thought sarcastically. "Sooo," he said drawing the word out as much as he could until Phantom looked over at him. "Any particular reason why you're not trying to suck me into the thermos right now…not that I'm complaining or anything."

Phantom shrugged, "you didn't try to attack me so I'm not gonna attack you." One of his eyebrows arched and he said almost teasingly, "pretty simple don't you think?"

Shade gave a small laugh before saying sensibly, "Didn't stop you the first time."

He saw the ghost wince and rub the back of his neck awkwardly, "yeah sorry about that. Thought you were attacking an innocent civilian my bad," he finished sarcastically.

Tyler scowled at him feeling as though he was locked in a battle of wits and loosing. "True but I wasn't, so next time just ask before you go all town hero on my ass," Shade said. And was some what startled when Phantom laughed, Ty switched from swinging his feet to fingering the medallion around his neck wondering if he used to have all the nervous habits he did now.

"I'll try to remember that," Phantom promised. Shade wondered if he was being serious or if he was joking, because it was pretty hard to tell. The more time he spent with the spirit the stranger he became, it was crazy to think but he was sure he'd met him somewhere. There was just something familiar about him.

"Phantom why do you protect this town," Shade asked without meeting the spirits gaze. He didn't know why he asked, maybe it was just to keep the conversation going, or maybe it was because he was truly curious. Whatever the reason it didn't matter the words were already out of his mouth and it was too late to take them back, all he could do was wait.

It was a few moments before Phantom answered, "Because I can." Short, sweet and to the point, Ty couldn't help but think, over all it was a pretty good answer but thinking about his lie only moments before it could have easily been a lie as well.

Shade nodded and stood up stretching his back in the process, strangely as a ghost he felt calmer and more confident. Even here standing on the top of a skyscraper he didn't feel afraid, oddly up in the sky he felt at home. "You know what Phantom that is a really lame reason for risking your neck on a daily basis," he put a hand on his chest and said deeply. "I would have gone with 'With great power comes great responsibility,' but that's just me."

Phantom tilted his head grinning slightly, "I think somebody read too many comic books when they were alive," he said rolling his eyes.

Shade almost asked what he was talking about before remembering that he was supposed to be dead, "Maybe." He said berating himself for his near mess up _that could have ended badly. _

Phantom shook his head slowly before standing up also and walking out into the open air but of course didn't fall just kept walking as if there was actual ground floating in mid air. "Listen I'm glad I saw you up here maybe we'll see each other again."

Shade nodded, "You can count on that…and can I ask for one thing?"

"Shoot."

"When that happens could you I don't know not try to kill me, again I like my spot in the after life as it is," he said with a small shrug.

Phantom smirked, "I can try."

Shade saw him start to float away but he shouted one more thing to him, "Hey maybe we could actually learn to get along?"

"Maybe," was the spirits' only reply before he was gone. Shade stared after him his tired body finally catching up to his mind he yawned and lifted himself slowly into the air aiming his body towards the Fenton home.

If he had looked behind him he would have seen Plasmius appear on top of the gargoyle a calm smirk on his face. _Yes this is working quite smoothly,_ he thought staring after his valuable pawn. He only needed to make a few more moves before he had Tyler cornered with no place else to got but Vlad himself. _All I have to do is continue and I will be one step closer to the prize_. What was the prize in question you ask? Well I will give you a hint his name rhymes with Fanny Lantom.

**Authors Note:** Ahh, how easy it is to fool teenagers. Sad but true. A few things to go over here: Yes Danny knows Ty and Shade are one in the same. Why? Because… well just go read chapter nine that should clear things up just fine. Another thing of course Danny and Jazz don't remember anything! Vlad frickin' stuck his hand through their heads! I'd like to see you remember stuff after that happened. Another thing: Do Phantom and Shade get along? Well just look at the title and that should answer your question…mostly. Hmm, I believe that is it pretty much. If you've got any questions or concerns feel free to ask or point out grammar mistakes and what not. As always I have my Beta man to thank ShadowFox123 and of course my awesome reviewers.


	12. Moving On

Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom, no Butch didn't set Klemper on me again but he did threaten to get Vlad to escort me from the premises if I asked one more time. So I did what any Vlad fan would do I asked one more time. And guess what? I got Vlad's autograph…but I still don't own Danny Phantom (Expect to see these little stories from now on they seem to lighten the mood.)

Chapter 12: Moving on

_Skulker smirked evilly his robotic eyes shining with triumph, lying at his feet barely conscious was Tyler and he was in bad shape. His clothes were torn and his body was bruised and battered, he hardly had the strength to lift his head and look up at the evil ghost before him. The boy opened his mouth but no sound came out his throat was bone dry and raw from his earlier pain filled screams. _

"_What was that whelp," Skulker questioned gleefully. Nothing pleased the hunter more than a successful hunt and his prey broken at his feet. "You'll have to speak up," he added with a chuckle._

_Tyler swallowed a few times and tried once more, "S…kulker don't-" he was cut off when Skulker pulled his leg back and kicked him viciously in the ribs. His remaining air was taken from him in a whoosh that left him gasping for breath. Tyler curled in on himself wishing nothing more to just disappear, disappear from the pain that was racking his body. He felt weak and broken and yet it still got worse._

_Skulker leaned down and pulled the boy up by his hair enjoying as he whimpered too exhausted to cry out fully. He turned the weakly struggling boy to see another teen she was tied to a wooden chair her head lolling limply to the side. When Tyler saw this he whimpered even louder his weak struggles becoming slightly stronger, Skulker rumbled in his chest a grin spreading across his face. _

"_Please Skulker," Tyler gasped when the ghost twisted his hair even more. "Leave her alone." _

_The robotic ghost sneered into the boys' face, "You are the one who brought her into this Tyler. This is all your fault." _

"_N…no," the teen shook his head tears starting to form in his eyes. Skulker threw him roughly to the floor just as glowing green chains appeared out of the floor and wrapped themselves around Ty, binding him there._

_Skulker walked up to the girl and pulled her beautiful red head back her, eyes still closed, Jazz didn't even stir. A green blade slid out of Skulker's forearm mere inches away from Jazz's dangerously exposed neck. "And now you'll have to pay the price," Skulker went on as if the boy hadn't even spoken. _

_Tyler struggled even more at seeing the blade move closer to the girl's throat, "Skulker please don't, take me just leave her alone." The boy begged tears falling freely down his cheeks, not even bothering to try to free himself._

"_Don't worry child," Skulker grinned, "It will be quick." _

_And before Ty could move Skulker flicked his wrist right at Jazz, "No," Ty cried his heart nearly tearing in two. _

"Ahh," Tyler shouted sitting bolt upright. The shaking boy looked around confusion clear on his face he was in…the detention room? And several anxious faces were staring back at him, including the teacher, who Ty thought might be the janitor, and Danny Fenton.

"You alright," the raven haired boy asked concern in his voice.

Tyler took several deep breathes desperately trying to calm his racing heart, that wasn't the first time he'd had that nightmare. It had beena week since the incident with Skulker and Plasmius and every time that he went to sleep he had the same horrible dream. Ty shuddered thinking back on all of his sleepless nights, in fact he hadn't actually slept a full night in at least five days. The boy turned his light brown eyes, dark bags underneath them, to Danny and placed a forced smile on his lips.

"Yeah Dan I just had a nightmare about Lancer," he forced a joking smile on his face, though his eyes were pain filled. The two boys shared a laugh, Ty's more forced than Danny's.

"Yeah I can understand that," Danny agreed.

Ty chuckled a little more before turning his head away as a small whimper came from his lips. He quickly bit the whimper down and placed his head on the desk, doing his best to forget his horrible nightmare. It didn't work; this wasn't the first time however. Over the past fewdays Ty had been distant his lack of sleep making him irritable and the bad dreams causing him to be easily distracted and sometimes frightened. Jazz had picked up on this but Tyler had told her it was nothing and when she persisted they started to argue. The disagreement caused the two to not talk to each other, and the silent treatment was still going.

Jazz's and Tyler's relationship wasn't the only thing that had changed, Danny and Tyler had actually gotten to be close. They were nearly inseparable in the few classes they had together, being in two different grades was hard to overcome. And Ty had also become pretty close to Sam and Tucker as well, not best friends but still able to hold down a ten minute conversation with ease.

Tyler had yet to find Plasmius and had given up his search a few days after searching and had still found no signs of the helpful it not scary red eyed ghost. Though everything wasn't bad, Tyler had found out that a part of his spectral powers were controlled by his emotions. If he was sad he would fall through objects more often. If he was happy sometimes he would float off the ground. He had been working on controlling the powers and found the best way was to learn to control his emotions.

_A lot has changed,_ the boy thought a small shudder passing through his lanky frame. He sighed into his hands and distracted his frightened mind by thinking of Jazz, his mouth slid into a frown his eyes troubled. He wished he hadn't yelled at her that day, but he didn't want her to find out he was having nightmares. He was a sophomore; he wasn't supposed to have bad dreams like a little five year old. And he figured that after a few days they would go away but they only seemed to get worse.

_How did I get back on this subject, _he thought in annoyance.

"Hey Ty," Danny voice pulled him from his angry thoughts. "You up for the Nasty Burger, Sam and Tuck are already there."

Tyler considered, he actually didn't feel like hanging out but he really needed to clear his head. "Sure Dan that sounds great," he said trying his best to sound upbeat. "Just as long as Sam doesn't order for me…again."

Tyler had soon found out that Sam was a vegetarian, well actually more like a super vegetarian as in way over the top. And after his first dining experience with letting Sam order for him he decided to never let it happen again. He could still taste the veggie sandwich she'd ordered for him, it had tasted like mud on grass. _Actually I think it was mud on grass, _he thought a small smirk on his face.

Danny laughed, "Will do." The two fell back into silence both lost in their own thoughts, not five minutes later the teacher/janitor looked up at the clock and back to the four or five students.

"You can go," he said in a raspy voice. It sounded like he was a chain smoker.

Tyler and Danny jumped up at the same time and headed out the door, "So Ty how's your mom doing," Danny asked as the pair came out of the school and into the chilly November air.

The blonde haired teen jumped at hearing Danny's voice, he turned his tired eyes to him biting down a yawn. "She's fine," he answered curtly turning his head away.

"And you how's your job going," Danny continued undeterred.

"Great," Tyler said just as curtly. The job that Sam had promised him weeks ago had turned out to be the equivalent to hell on earth. He washed dishes in an incredibly fancy Italian restaurant and the head waiter was a total jerk. He despised Tyler and went out of his way to make his life miserable, whether it was from giving him extra plates to wash or purposely causing messes for the boy to clean up he did it. And Tyler seriously hated the man, especially in his tired state he wasn't exactly in the mood to be beaten down.

"Glad to hear you're enjoying it that much," Danny commented dryly. He could tell his friend wasn't very thrilled with his job but didn't want to say anything.

Tyler rolled his eyes only feeling slightly annoyed but it wasn't the time to argue. He turned his head away and continued to ignore his friend.

"So I talked to Jazz the other day," Danny went on hoping to get a reaction.

"Well considering you live in the same house that's good," Tyler countered snidely.

Danny frowned at him before forging on, "And she wanted me to ask how you're doing."

"Tell her fine."

Tyler heard a sigh and smirked in satisfaction he did not feel like talking about this. After Tyler had "saved" Danny and Jazz from Skulker, Danny had gone out of his way to be nice to Ty. And had even gone as far as to not approve of Tyler and Jazz hanging out, but he tolerated it. But since Jazz wasn't talking to Ty Danny had seemed kind of annoyed.

"You know she's worried about you," Danny said quietly.

The blonde gritted his teeth, "I know."

"But you don't care?"

Tyler didn't answer, just clenched his jaw glaring banefully at Danny, the shorter boy held up his hands. "I don't want to talk about this okay Danny," Ty said opening the door to the Nasty Burger. "It would just be best to not mention it again."

"That might be a problem," Danny said sounding a little nervous.

"What do you mean," Ty asked anxiously not liking the grin that grew on Danny's face. Danny only pointed over Ty's shoulder and the boy unwillingly turned around. Sitting at his usual table was Tucker and Sam. But that wasn't the shocking part sitting squished in between them was Jazz and she looked a little annoyed herself. Tyler paled and looked around hoping to duck into hiding before Jazz noticed him but Danny killed that hope.

"Hey Jazz," he shouted grabbing Tyler as he tried to leap past him and back out the door. He turned Tyler around noticing the look of anguish pasted on his face.

"Why do you torture me," he hissed.

Danny shrugged, "Because you like my sister."

Danny marched the unwillingly Tyler up to his friends and sat down across from them, he leaned back and gave Tuck and Sam a wink. Their plan was working smoothly, for now. Jazz was staring at Tyler a mix of emotions on her face and Tyler was doing his best to act casual.

_That little twerp, _Ty thought heatedly. _He had this planned all along, oh I am so going to pound him later. _He looked up and quickly looked down again when he saw Jazz looking at him, this situation was not making him feel better.

"So um Danny, Tuck why don't we go order," Sam said loudly standing from the table. Before either boy could object she had grabbed their arms and dragged them away. Ty swore he saw Tucker look back over his shoulder and send him a thumbs-up. Ty glared after them silently cursing them.

"So Ty how've you been," Jazz asked sounding uncertain.

Tyler unwillingly dragged his murderous gaze away from the three teens and back to Jazz. "Fine, you," he answered. He wasn't trying to be mean but it might be the only way.

"Good, I guess."

The two fell into a stony silence neither knowing exactly what to say, "So um how have your powers been going," Jazz said lowering her voice.

"Better, I still haven't gotten control over them but it is better than it was before," Ty said his voice also quiet. The two fell into silence once more and they both shifted uncomfortably.

Then with no warning Jazz and Ty began to speak at the same time.

"Look Ty I'm sorry for what I said but there really is something bothering you-"

"Jazz I don't think I should be seeing you now I don't think it's a good idea-"

Tyler and Jazz stopped at the same time, Jazz with a look of pained shock on her face, and Tyler with grim determination.

"What," Jazz whispered her voice hurt.

Tyler sighed quietly he really didn't wish for it to happen like this but it looked like his luck was back to its normal sucky-ness. "Jazz," he started taking her hand gently in his. "After what happened with Skulker…I just don't think it would be safe to be around you."

Jazz stared at him shock clearly in her gaze, "I don't understand Ty," she breathed her hands shaking.

Tyler took a deep breath, biting back the stinging in his eyes. He didn't think it would be this hard, or affect him this much. "Jazz I can't be around you anymore it isn't safe," he told her firmly giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

This seemed to reach Jazz and she blinked stupidly at him, "But Ty you, you saved me from Skulker-."

"No," Tyler interrupted anger finding its way into his voice. "I didn't do anything," he looked away from the girl. He was about to tell her that Plasmius saved them but something held him back, for some reason he felt the need to protect the ghost. "If it wasn't for Phantom we would've been screwed," Ty lied.

"But you said," Jazz denied shaking her head numbly.

"I know what I said," he said sharply, "I lied."

"Why."

"Because I thought I could protect you Jazz…but now I know that I can't. And as long as you're around me you never will be safe," he whispered the last part feeling a lump rise up in his throat.

"I don't need protecting," Jazz countered her voice suddenly angry.

Tyler looked up into her face, feeling the sudden urge to stroke her cheek but he held himself back. "You're right Jazz, as long as you're away from me you won't," the teen smiled sadly before rising out of the booth.

Jazz jumped up with him grabbing his hand tightly, "No Ty I can't let you go. What happened wasn't your fault and you don't have to protect me, I can defend myself."

Tyler shook his head and grabbed Jazz's hand pulling it away from his own, "I'm sorry Jazz it's just better this way." Before the girl could object he walked away from her and out the door not glancing behind him once.

_She's safer this way, she's safer this way, _he chanted to himself as he walked away. He felt as if his heart was tearing in two as he turned his back on the girl he loved. He didn't know how long he walked through the cold streets of Amity, probably a couple hours but he was too numb to really notice. It was like the emotional pain had forced him to crawl back inside his body, leaving only an empty zombie like shell behind. Eventually when Ty came back to himself, he found he was at the bus stop sitting on a bench and staring into space.

Tyler sighed debating whether to go home or just sit here for a few more hours, or days. When suddenly a voice filtered into his brain, _"I told you so,"_ it whispered at the edges of Ty's mind.

The boy looked around for the source of the voice but there was no one around, praying that he wasn't going nuts Ty swallowed and said quietly, "Uh what?"

He heard an impish chuckle greet him and then out of nowhere, as if he'd been standing there the whole time, Blaze appeared right in front of Ty. "I said I told you so," the man said again a smile on his face.

_Great now I'm seeing things, maybe I am going nuts, _Tyler thought dejectedly lowering his head into his hands.

Blaze floated closer and said confidently, "Oh you're not seeing things Shade I am here." The ancient Shadowhunter lifted the boys' chin before stating "Didn't I tell you the girl was trouble?"

Ty pulled away from the man brief anger flashing in his eyes before it was replaced by pain, "Leave me alone," he whispered. The teen flinched when he heard cruel laughter sound in his ears and he glared at Blaze wondering why the man was acting this way. "Why are you doing this Blaze," the boy demanded.

Blaze calmed his laughter and stared down at the boy a hint of insanity in his gaze, "Because Shade, I am teaching the ways of the Shadowhunter. There is no room for love in our world and that is your first lesson."

Tyler stood up and backed away from the ghost pointing an excusing finger at him, "You're insane."

"Am I," Blaze questioned chuckling a bit. "Do you remember when I told you of the enemy who appears to be friend?" The ghost advanced on the backpedaling teenager, "You know of whom I speak, Danny Phantom."

"No, no," Ty shook his head. "Just leave me alone," he shouted turning to run from the ghost.

Blaze let him go shouting after him, "You can't run from your destiny Shade, remember that."

Tyler ran blindly for home his head beginning to pound again but he ignored the pain and ran faster, the next thing he knew he was at home panting on the living room floor. The boy wrapped his arms around his legs and put his head against his knees. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, Blaze wasn't supposed to act crazy and evil, and he was supposed to get the girl, but everything was just wrong. Ty repressed the sob growing in his throat and clenched his eyes shut against the pounding headache.

He knew he should go to sleep but the thought of the nightmares kept his mind working. Ty shook his head doing his best to think clearly against the blinding pain erupting behind his eyes, no matter what Blaze said he wasn't going to listen to him. The ghost was crazy in every sense of the word. But…he was right about Phantom, wasn't he?

Phantom did appear to be friend even though he wasn't.

Ty put his hands on his temples feeling anger rise up in him, Phantom tricked him, Skulker threatened him, he had to leave Jazz to keep her safe. And now Blaze was against him, it was all too much, Tyler felt the tips of his fingers start to tingle as rage burned in his now glowing eyes. With an animalistic cry Tyler threw his arms to the side just as crackling golden lightning erupted from his palms exploded into the couch sending the inside of the cushions flying into the air.

The teen blinked dumbfounded at the couch that now had a steaming hole through the top, with smoke still rising out of the wound. Ty glanced down at his hands shocked to see golden energy dancing between his finger tips. He stared stunned at this new discovery before a small smile grew on his face, he slowly clenched his fists causing the energy to disappear back into his hand.

_Maybe I can get things back to the way they were, _the boy thought his eerie smile growing even more.

**Authors Note: **Well as you can see lot's a angst in that chapter. Heh, don't blame me blame my evil side. Sorry for the wait.


	13. Control

**Authors Note: **Yes I know that was a little bit overdone with the drama last chapter but it was kind of necessary. Now don't worry this isn't another time jump this is the next day. That's all, thanks for the reviews you guys and gals! And this chapter is slightly dark, slightly.

Disclaimer: Yet again I snuck into Butch Hartman's office to ask permission to own DP and once again I was denied. No it wasn't Vlad or Klemper it was Skulker. He jammed in a net, dragged me out of the building and then threw me into the street. And I landed very hard on my head and now I have a large bruise. Just to reiterate I do not own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 13: Control

_Focus … you've got to focus Ty … keep that anger… control your emotions … now just breathe. _Tyler stood in a clearing in the forest outside of Amity Park. He was alone, and planned on keeping it that way. The boy clenched his jaw, forcing his lungs to take deep and even breaths. He'd been in this position for a good twenty minutes, just controlling his breathing. Tyler opened his now glowing, golden eyes and in a flash of red light, changed into his alter ego.

"Much easier than last time," Shade said, inspecting his gloved hands. He'd learned that anger made it even easier to change than thinking of Jazz. Anger was a strong emotion, much stronger than love could ever be.

Shade smiled grimly. He wasn't happy about his situation, but he could accept it. The boy took another deep breath and raised his right hand, eyes narrowed in concentration. He pointed his hand at a nearby tree, expecting golden lightning to shoot out of his palm, but nothing happened.

The Shadowhunter growled lightly and doubled his efforts and, still, nothing. "C'mon, just work stupid freaky …" he trailed off, lowering his hand. Maybe he was taking this a little fast. He still hadn't learned to phase through objects easily, and now he was trying to shoot lightning from his hand.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, falling to the ground. "What am I even doing? I'm sitting here, in the middle of nowhere, trying to shoot lightning from my hand." He sighed. "Maybe I am going nuts." Shade ran a hand through his spiky hair, seriously contemplating going home and seeing a shrink.

"Oh, you're not going nuts, Shade," a silky voice spoke up, causing the boy to jump, a look of horror crossing his face.

"No, not here," Shade whispered, leaping to his feet and backing away.

"Yes," the voice came from behind him, and Shade whirled around to see a grinning Blaze leaning against a tree. "Don't look so shocked, boy. Didn't I tell you I'd always be with you?" The man smirked evilly at the teenager's expression.

Shade's face contorted with anger and he balled his fists. "Stay away from me Blaze," he growled, more out of fear than anything else.

Blaze chuckled and detached himself from the tree. "I don't think so." The man sauntered toward the teen as he backed away, forcing away the shivers running up his spine.

"I said stay away from me," Shade repeated, trying his hardest to sound threatening. He really wished he knew how to use his new powers right now, because Blaze looked beyond scary.

"And I said no," Blaze laughed, still advancing on the backpedaling teen.

Shade continued to back away, his breathing picking up. _What should I do? Maybe I can- _Shade froze in place when he backed into someone's cold, hard chest. _Oh, crud. _The boy spun around, coming face to face with a Blaze doppelganger. He squeaked in fear, and ducked away from the ghost copy, but it reached forward and grabbed him in a tight head lock. "Let me go!" Shade grunted, struggling against the Blaze copy's tight hold.

The original Blaze laughed loudly, clasping his hands behind his back. "I'd love to, Shade, but you and I need to have a little chat." The man floated a few feet into the air, keeping his orange eyes on the struggling boy. "You see, Shade, I have a secret. Something you might find a little shocking." The man sent the boy a smug grin. "Clockwork lied to you," he sang, looking as if he was enjoying himself.

Shade stared wide eyed at the ghost. _He's lying. Clockwork would never lie to me. Besides, he's crazy, he's actually nuts, and I trusted him! What was I thinking? _

The boy glared furiously at Blaze. "He didn't lie to me. You're the liar, you sick psychopath!"

The man floated closer to Shade and grabbed his chin firmly. "You will not speak that way to me, Shade," he murmured seriously. The ghost teen scowled, trying to jerk his chin away from Blaze's hand.

"I'll speak however I want to you," Shade growled. "You're not my father."

Blaze remained silent for a moment, almost looking … amused at the statement. He smiled sinisterly. "Perhaps not, but I do not lie, Shade. You see, when Clockwork told you his little story about the Shadowhunters, he left out one big detail."

Shade said again, scowling deeply, "Clockwork didn't lie to me." He couldn't believe that the Time ghost had. Clockwork had saved him … why would he lie?

Blaze tsked, wagging a finger in the air. "Oh, that's where you're wrong, my boy. The truth is, he did lie to you. He never told you the true history of our race." The man stood up to his full height, his doppelganger grabbing the back of Shade's hair and tilting the boy's head back. "The Shadowhunters have always, and will always, use their powers to steal."

Shade's eyes widened, not just from the pain in his scalp, but from shock, and he gasped. "Steal? You mean-"

Blaze cut him off smoothly, rubbing his beard thoughtfully, "I suppose you could call us thieves, or criminals, whichever you prefer."

The boy stared at him in horror. He couldn't believe what he just heard. _He's lying. It's not true. It can't be true. _"Why should I believe you?" Shade demanded, fear causing his voice to shake.

"Because, Shade, I have no reason to lie to you. You are like a son to me," Blaze explained, sounding hurt, as he placed his right palm against his chest. Shade opened his mouth to scoff at that, but the Blaze copy slapped a hand over his mouth, smothering his sharp retort. "Now, now, Shade. You know it's rude to interrupt adults."

All Shade could do was glare, and he did, very heatedly. _He's such a sadistic control freak, _he growled in his head. Blaze smirked and said, "You have no reason not to believe me, Shade. You are a Shadowhunter, one of us. Why would I lie?"

Shade had stopped struggling. He had heard the cold certainty in Blaze's voice, and it filled him with dread. _Blaze isn't lying. That means that I'm a … I'm going to be a criminal. _Shade looked away from Blaze, clenching his jaw. _No, I won't be that. Just because Blaze was … and every other Shadowhunter was, doesn't mean I will be. I'm different that him. He can't make me become that. And he could still be lying to confuse me. _

"I'm glad you're seeing things my way," Blaze said brightly, noticing the boy's silence. "Now sit tight because I am going to tell you the true story of our race." The man crossed his legs and floated higher into the air. "Picture, if you will, a time hundreds of years ago, when I was a young man, twenty-one to be exact. I first received my spectral powers. Like you, I was frightened. I had never heard of anything like this before, let alone experienced it. The first few months after it happened, I ran away to the mountains and considered never coming back.

"But once I discovered the key to controlling my powers, I began to practice. It didn't take long, about six months, perhaps. And during that time, I also found out a new power I possessed," Blaze raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a bright orange flame appeared in the palm of his hand. "Imagine my surprise."

Shade stared at the dancing flames. It didn't look like normal fire. It had a darker quality to it, almost like Phantom's green ecto-energy except stronger, more dangerous. The Blaze doppelganger released Shade's mouth, and the boy asked, "Why do you have fire powers, and I have lightning?"

Blaze clenched his hand, and the tiny flames disappeared. "I'm glad to see you're paying attention." Shade glowered at him and Blaze answered unfazed, "Every Shadowhunter has different abilities. Sometimes the same power is shared by another, but you are the only one I have ever seen with your talent."

The ghost teen's eyes widened in surprise. _I'm the only one? That doesn't sound good. _ Blaze chuckled. "Don't look so shocked, Shade. You should know by now you are very special. Not only are you the youngest of our race, but I can see, you have amazing potential."

Shade sneered at the compliment, but before he could interrupt, Blaze continued, "Now listen, Shade. When I was alive it was a completely different time. There were no laws, no rules, you could do whatever you wanted. Whatever it took to survive. And it was very challenging to survive, Shade." If the man was hoping to gain sympathy from the young Shadowhunter, he was sadly disappointed. Shade remained silent, staring stonily at him.

Blaze shook his ruefully. "Perhaps you are too young to understand. But know this, I grew up in a time of savagery. You either killed or you were killed. And the only way I could survive was to use my powers."

"To do what?" Shade asked, almost fearfully. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to know.

Blaze looked up and grinned. "To steal what I needed to live. It started off with only a few thefts. An invisible hand stealing an apple, intangibly grabbing a sack full of bread, but then it became more. I was able to master my powers, and when I did, I moved on to something more valuable." The boy's expression looked confused and Blaze added, "Jewels."

The man stared into the distance, a wistful smile on his face. "After only a year I had riches beyond imagination. But I still needed more." Blaze chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That was my downfall. You see, I started a group of men who worshipped the ground I walked on, a cult you could say. They believed that I was a god. I knew that was not true, but I needed someone to do my dirty work. After my group had grown to about fifty or so followers I released them on my old city. They came back with even more riches than I had managed to acquire.

"I was impressed. I didn't even have to lift a finger … well, maybe to count my wealth." The ghost laughed at the joke, while Shade stared in horror. _This- this is crazy. _

The boy shook his head. "Please," he whispered, staring into Blaze's eyes. "I don't want to hear anymore." Shade had a good feeling this story wouldn't end well.

Blaze tutted, and quickly patted Shade's head. "This is your history lesson, child. You will see it through to the end," he said, ignoring the desperate look on the boy's face. "But, of course, all good things never last. I was a little too confident with my followers. After a few months of following my orders, they discovered that I wasn't actually a god. In secret, they planned to betray me, and in the middle of the night, the traitors slit my throat." Blaze lifted his chin up and pointed to a puffy red scar running across his neck.

Shade winced, staring at the cause of the ancient Shadowhunter's death. It looked very painful. "W-what happened?" the ghost teen mumbled, unable to look away from the scar.

"I found myself in the ghost zone," Blaze answered, a solemn tone in his voice. "I tried to escape, but couldn't. I then decided to settle down and hone my skills. When the next Shadowhunter came along a hundred years later, I took it upon myself to teach him all that I knew." The man sniffed with disdain. "He was a pathetic man really. No friends, no family and no means of survival. He eagerly listened to my every word, and by the end of the week, he was richer than he'd ever been in his entire life."

Blaze uncrossed his legs and floated down to the ground. "I continued this cycle till the present day and here we are."

The boy tried to pull out of the copy's hold, but it was as firm as ever. He slumped forward for a moment, before raising his head to glare at the original Blaze. "So you think you can turn me into a thief, is that it?" he demanded furiously. _I may have problems staying out of trouble, but I'm no criminal! And I never will be._ "I won't do it. I don't want your help!"

Blaze smiled knowingly, his expression very calm. "Oh, I think you do need my help, Shade. You see, only those who are in need of help receive the gift of becoming a Shadowhunter. Therefore, you have no choice."

"I won't listen to you Blaze!" the boy shouted, his eyes shining gold. "I wouldn't steal for you, even if I could."

"Is that so, my boy?" Blaze said, grinning slightly. He walked closer to the restrained teenager, leaning down so they were face to face. "You obviously don't understand. You won't steal for me or yourself, I know this. But, I also know that you would steal for a very important person in your life if you needed to." He sent the teenager a sly look. "Your mother, or perhaps your pretty little girlfriend? I think you would listen to me if their safety depended on it."

Shade felt as if the man had socked him in the gut and he gasped for breath, his expression absolutely horrified. _No, no! He can't hurt them. He can't, I promised to protect them. _

"It would be a shame if something happened to them," Blaze went on, his expression still calm and cool. "They seem so important in your life. I would hate to see them …" Blaze cracked his knuckles. "Disappear."

"Leave them out of this," Shade growled, feeling a tingling sensation spread throughout his fingers. He relished in the feeling and let his anger consume him. "I swear to God, if you hurt them-"

Blaze cut him off again with a sharp laugh. "You'll do what? You can do nothing to stop me," he stated, arching a lone eyebrow.

Shade ground his teeth together. "That's what you think," he snarled, as the tingling spread through his entire body, so his blood was practically burning fire. Shade released the pent up energy, and twin blasts of lighting erupted out of his palms, striking the doppelganger in the chest. It released its grip on Shade as it was thrown backwards.

The ghost teen smirked for a moment, before turning on the original Blaze. The man watched him silently, smiling slightly. _Take this you psycho, _Shade thought, and fired a strong charge of lightning straight at the ancient Shadowhunter. Blaze reacted extremely fast, and countered the attack with a twin blast of fire.

The two powerful energies collided in a shower of sparks, but neither of the Shadowhunter's backed down, and instead increased the strength of their attacks. "That's it, Shade!" Blaze laughed, barely struggling to keep the boy's attack away from him. "Let the power go."

_You want power,_ the boy thought, gritting his teeth. _Well, here you go. _Shade took a step forward, holding onto the anger burning in his chest. He felt Blaze take a step back and it only encouraged the teen to try harder than ever before to hit the man. No one threatened his family without paying the price.

But, Shade couldn't hold his attack for long, and when Blaze increased his fire, Shade stumbled backwards, his lightning disappearing back into his palms. The ghost teen howled in pain as Blaze's fiery ecto-energy crashed into his chest, throwing him to the ground. He landed painfully on his back, the blow driving the breath from him. Shade curled in on himself, shaking as the sick stench of burning flesh reached his nostrils. He whimpered, feeling as if he were going to throw up from the agony racing through his body.

"I know it hurts now, Shade, but soon you will be able to defend yourself," Blaze said, standing over the convulsing boy.

Shade looked up, tears stinging his golden eyes. "Go to hell," he hissed, his voice sounding no more than a hoarse rasp.

The man chuckled as he knelt down and tsked. "Language, boy," he said and wagged a finger mockingly.

"Get away from me," Shade said, still curled up in a fetal position, hugging his burning chest. The pain was slowly going away, but it still hurt very badly.

"I will, but not before I get this message through that thick skull of yours," Blaze said, tapping Shade's forehead for emphasis. "You will do what I say or, I promise you, your mother and girlfriend will pay the consequences. I have been training Shadowhunters for generations, and I know how to convince the stubborn ones. Do you understand?"

Shade's eyes widened at the malice dripping from Blaze's words. Once more, he could tell that the man wasn't lying._ I can't become that, I won't. What would my mom think? But, I can't let him hurt them, and he will. I know he will. And I can't stop him from doing that unless- no. I can't, I can't._ The teen shook his head helplessly, struggling to come to terms with what Blaze had just told him._ I promised to protect Jazz, and I love mom. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe. I have to._

"Do you understand, Shade?" Blaze prompted, watching the teen with thoughtful eyes.

The teenager met the man's fiery, orange eyes, his face etched with pain. "Yes," he muttered. "I get it."

Blaze grinned broadly and said, "That's a good boy, Shade. With my help you will become who you were truly meant to be," he vowed seriously.

Shade ignored his smug tone and painfully scrambled to his feet, an arm wrapped around his midsection. He stumbled backwards to lean heavily against an oak tree. "I won't be a criminal, Blaze." He said, narrowing his eyes. "No matter what you make me do."

Blaze smiled sickly sweet before saying, "Of course you will, it is what you were made to be."

Shade's resolve faltered and he dropped his gaze to the ground, unable to listen to the truth ringing in Blaze's words. He _was_ made for that purpose. No matter how much he wished to be normal again, it wasn't going to happen. Shade shook his head numbly, his shoulder's quivering. He couldn't believe this was happening. Blaze had seemed so helpful when he first met him, but now he was the definition of evil.

The boy jumped a bit when he felt a hand clap him on his left shoulder. He looked up at Blaze as he said, "Trust me, it is not as bad as it seems."

Shade looked away, biting back the stinging in his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for Blaze to see him cry. He knew he wasn't going to get any sympathy from the vile man. "Whatever," the teen muttered, trying to shrug the man's hand off.

Blaze only increased his grip, and said in a dangerous tone, "I will give you a few days to yourself to … think over what I've said."

Shade wasn't looking, but he could just hear the smile in the man's voice and it made him even angrier. He looked up and said snidely, "You're so kind." As the words came out, he felt the grip on his shoulder tighten to a painful level, but he didn't back down, continuing to glare at the man.

Blaze smiled without humor. "I'll see you soon," he said, and his form slowly faded away, leaving Shade alone in the eerily quiet forest. He shivered.

Shade leaned against the tree for a long time, before the throbbing pain in his chest forced him to stumble over to his body and change back into human form. The moment he did, a new sensation traveled through his body. It caused his heart rate to increase and his breaths to come out in quick pants. Tyler's vision began to spin, and he fell backwards onto his bottom putting a hand up to his heart. It was thumping wildly, as if fighting to break free from his chest.

_I'm having a panic attack,_ Ty realized in shock, gasping. _Have to calm down, have to calm down,_ he mentally chanted. Panic attacks weren't exactly dangerous, but it certainly felt that way for Tyler.

_I can't calm down! _He screamed in his mind, fear shooting throughout his entire body. _Blaze threatened my family! He could kill them! He could kill me. He's going to turn me into a criminal, and I can't do anything about it._

Tyler distantly realized he needed to calm down, but couldn't make himself do it. The boy fell onto his side on the leaf covered ground, wrapping his arms around his knees. His entire body was tingling so strongly he was shivering. _Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this? I didn't do anything! Why, why, why?! _

Ty sobbed into the ground, praying that if he was dying, it would just end quickly. He wasn't sure much more he could take. It was like all of the fear he'd ever experienced in his life had come together and attacked him at once, without mercy.

The ghost teen looked up through fuzzy, tunnel vision when he felt a hand touch him on the shoulder. "Plasmius?" he gasped, the fear in his body subsiding a bit, though it didn't leave completely.

"Tyler you need to calm down," the ghost said firmly, yet gently. "Everything is alright, just breathe."

Ty nodded feebly, and began to breathe in and out, under the ghost's instructions. "That's it. It's alright. You're doing great," Plasmius coached with an encouraging smile. After a few long minutes, Tyler calmed down enough that he was able to breathe normally, and he felt a little better.

"T-thank you," the boy whispered shakily, as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He continued to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, forcing his rushing thoughts to slow down. "W-what are y … you doing here?"

Plasmius sat back on his heels, his face changing to nonchalance. "I was flying over and I heard the end of your conversation, and thought you needed some help."

The boy nodded. "You guessed right," Ty said, his voice shaking at the end.

"Who was that?" Plasmius asked, suddenly looking curious.

Tyler's shoulders stiffened, instantly knowing who Plasmius was talking about. He really didn't want to say anything, especially after he what he'd just recovered from. Ty felt his hands begin to shake again and clenched them into fists. "Blaze," he forced himself to say. "His name's Blaze."

Plasmius scrunched his eyebrows together in a sympathetic gesture. "What did he do to you?" Ty looked away, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from whimpering. "You don't have to answer that," the ghost added quickly, almost sounding abashed.

Ty shook his head, hating himself for being so afraid. "No, it's okay." He sighed again, building up his confidence before continuing. "He … he threatened me, and someone I care about. Threatened to hurt them and I couldn't stop him," he trailed off, a tremble running down his spine.

"Are you alright?" Plasmius asked, his voice full of concern. "He's not coming back is he?"

"Not now," Ty muttered, his eyes downcast. "But he will be." _And, when he does, I'm screwed. _The boy moaned, feeling the urge to cover his face with his hands.

"Don't worry, Tyler, I won't let him hurt you," Plasmius said, his tone sounding grim and determined.

Ty looked up at the ghost, his eyes wide. _Maybe he can help. _Hope flared inside the boy's chest and he almost smiled. With Plasmius's help, he knew he could beat Blaze and send him back to wherever he came from. Plasmius was obviously very powerful, and he was on Ty's side! Blaze wouldn't stand a chance. "You'll help me?" the boy asked, expression hopeful.

"Of course," the ghost said as if it were obvious.

Tyler smiled, and the pain in his chest evaporated a bit. His future wasn't looking as dark and ominous as it had before. Maybe, just maybe, he could stop Blaze before he was forced to become what he wasn't. _I'd watch out if I were you, Blaze. You're gonna need all the help you can get. _

**Authors Note: **Ah, so the truth comes out. I told you Blaze was evil, pure evil! And again with the Ty angst I just can't stop, it's kinda pathetic really. And I really don't know how Plasmius manages to squirm his way into the end of my chapters. It really amazes me, he is so manipulative like that. The next chapter will be interesting, the name is Planning and I bet you can guess what it's about. Sorry again for the wait, but I've been sick for about a week and haven't really felt like writing. Feel free to rant at me if you wish.


	14. Planning

MLHuzzah! I am no longer sick! It only took about 2 weeks but I am finally able to breathe normally again ha-ha! Sorry I'm just excited I feel so much better it's amazing. I hate colds don't you? But anyway thanks so much to you reviewers out there and I'm glad you all enjoyed it. And yes I have one more thing to announce the arrival of my new evil muse. As you can probably guess his name is Blaze and he's forcing me to write Ty angst! 

_B: I am not forcing you to do anything! You want to listen to me it's what I was made for._

ML: …

_B: -Evil laugh- Yes that would be check and mate. And now on with the story._

ML: -Grumbling under breath- That's my line.

Disclaimer: After I recovered from my minor concussion, courtesy of Skulker I decided to straight up sneak my way into Butch's office in disguise as Spongebob Squarepants. Let's just say I didn't get very far. Nope still don't own DP, but I do own Ty and my evil muse who shall remain nameless. 

Chapter 14: Planning

Jazz Fenton sighed quietly into her hands as she gazed unseeingly at the chalkboard on the far wall of the classroom. She distantly heard a sort of monotone-ish voice in the background explaining the finer points of the algebraic equation on the board. She didn't even bother to pay attention.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about Ty, and she really didn't want to think about him. Every time she did a tiny piece of her heart broke off and left her feeling empty and alone. Jazz was never the kind of person to brood she tended to look on the bright side of things and had really given an honest effort to see the silver lining in her situation but had found nothing. _I can't believe he did this to me,_ she repeated for the hundredths time. 

A part of Jazz told her that she was being selfish. That she shouldn't be reacting so pathetically, that she should at least try to figure out why he did what he did. It repeated over and over that there had to be a logical explanation for his actions.

But Jazz's emotional side refused to listen it was in too much pain to care. _Everything was going so well and then he just leaves,_ Jazz let her head fall onto her desk her hands cushioning the fall. 

Jazz was never easily confused but now she couldn't make sense of anything. And to say the least it was annoying the crap out of her. Why do I care? Was the question she'd been asking herself. That was the angry part of her. The most irrational even more so than love. 

The stray thought caused Jazz to blink dumbly feeling as if she'd been socked in the gut. That was it. The answer had been staring her in the face all along but she'd just been too stubborn to accept it. She loved him. 

It was crazy and totally out of character for her to think, usually she would use her book smarts to disprove her feelings as puppy love but there was something different. Something stronger almost like a pull. When she was away from him all she could think about was what he was doing and if he was thinking of her. It was reckless and childish and insane but she didn't care. She wanted to feel this way and she wanted Ty to feel the same. 

For the first time in a long time Jazz felt like a teenager. An honest to god impulsive teenager. And she was enjoying it, the feeling seemed right. It was the answer she'd been searching for, for the past few days. And now that she'd found it what was she going to do?

Jazz felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up still half lost in her dream state, "Jasmine class is over," her teacher said looking slightly concerned. She glanced around finding in surprise that she was the only one left in the room besides her teacher. "Are you alright Jazz you look a little pale."

"Yeah I'm fine," Jazz answered gathering her books and bag. Her face was set in determination she knew what she had to do, she had to find Ty and knock some sense into him. She was going to make him see and nothing was going to stop her. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out the door. 

Jazz practically plowed over every student in her path as she walked down the crowded halls. She came to the end of the hall and walked out into the school yard. She had to stand on her tiptoes but managed to catch sight of who she was looking for: a bobbing blonde head in the crowd. 

Going into an all out sprint Jazz leapt forward and grabbed a certain dirty blonde headed individual causing the boy to jump and turn in surprise. Jazz pulled him to a stop and stood still causing the students on their ways home to part around them until they were completely alone. When Tyler brought his gaze around to meet Jazz's determined one he instantly looked uneasy. "We need to talk," Jazz explained keeping a tight grip on his arm, completely forgetting the fact that if he wanted to Ty could just phase out of her grip.

Tyler frowned looking annoyed, "Jazz I don't think this is the best time," he said sounding stern. 

Jazz merely raised her chin and said, "No we're talking now and you're not getting out of it." Jazz watched as Ty looked over her defiant air before sighing and nodding in defeat. Jazz grinned and released Ty's arm which he rubbed gently, wincing slightly. 

"What is it Jazz?" His voice came out aggressive but for some reason Jazz didn't believe it. It sounded like he didn't mean what he was saying almost as if he was doing it against his will. But why was that? Then Jazz remembered the conversation they'd had at the Nasty Burger and realization dawned on her, she'd been too upset to see it before but now it was obvious. 

_Something is wrong. Something's threatening him and he doesn't want me involved. He needs help, _Jazz resisted the part of her that wanted to shout out her questions, deciding to approach this calmly. If something was threatening him then he most likely wouldn't want to tell her about it. Jazz took a deep, bracing breath thinking calm thoughts before asking,

"What is wrong with you?" Okay, maybe she wasn't that calm. 

Ty arched an eyebrow at her tone but said nothing so Jazz forged on, "You say you're trying to 'protect me'." Here she added air quotations sarcastically, "But all I see you doing is running away from something." He looked guilty; guilty was good maybe she was getting through to him.

Ty grimaced resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck, what Jazz said was hitting too close to home. He really was trying to protect to protect her and avoiding her at all costs was the best way to do it. But of course Tyler couldn't tell Jazz that. If he did she was sure to get even more involved than she was before. No, if he wanted to keep her safe he would have to keep her in the dark.

"Jazz, I-" Ty broke off looking away from Jazz a distant look coming into his face. For a moment she thought he was going to apologize for everything but then he sighed, "It's complicated." 

"What's complicated," she demanded getting angry. He looked away again but Jazz stepped in front of him so he had to look at her, "Tell me what is so complicated." 

Now he looked torn, like he wanted to tell her but couldn't, the look made Jazz suddenly feel guilty and she stepped back. _Maybe I shouldn't be here,_ she thought in shame. She was hurting him not on purpose but still hurting him. 

"I…" he swallowed casting his eyes downward, "Can't…tell you," he ended feebly. The two teenagers stood in silence, the wind blew past them causing fallen leaves to whip between them before continuing on in the winds path. A dog barked in the distance and a car screeched to a halt but none of those sounds reached Jazz's ears. She heard nothing; all sound had fallen away leaving only her and Ty in a blank abyss. Only he mattered. She shivered, but not from the cold. 

"Ty why are you doing this," Jazz asked her voice quivering. He hurt her, then she hurt him and then he hurt her again. It was an endless tennis match and she wanted it to stop. "Why are you shutting me out," she was begging now forcing back the stinging in her eyes. The worst part was he was in as much pain as her. She could see it now, in the line of his shoulders the tired way he stood. Jazz looked into his eyes noticing in shame his haggard look. 

It looked like he hadn't slept in days.

She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him but couldn't find the strength to move, "I just want to help you," she tried one last time. A sob broke through her lips she couldn't hold it in any longer she lowered her head a few tears escaping her tightly clamped eyes. 

Ty's eyes widened in shock when he heard Jazz begin to cry, he didn't want this, he wanted her to be happy. Tyler stood frozen torn between his initial reaction to make Jazz feel better or to do the smart thing and push her away. This was his chance to permanently keep Jazz safe all he had to do was make one move and he would have succeeded. _What should I do,_ he thought completely confused. 

Jazz did her best to quell the sobs wracking her thin frame but couldn't. A few moments later a pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around Jazz pulling her into a firm chest. A quiet voice shushed her while a soft hand patted her hair. "Don't cry please," Ty's rusty voice soothed her. Jazz leaned into the embrace wanting the moment to last forever. 

"I want you to trust me," she whispered noticing as the arms around her tightened ever so slightly. 

Jazz felt a hand underneath her chin and her head was tilted up Tyler stared down at her shaking his head, "I do Jazz, I do trust you." Up close she could see he looked much worse than she first thought, there seemed to be a fading bruise around his left eye and worse she could just make out purple marks around his throat. Almost as if he'd been strangled. 

"Then why won't you let me help you," she continued shaken by his rough appearance. 

"Because it's not your job to protect me," he said voice stronger but still weak sounding. The way it wavered at the end frightened Jazz, Tyler had never had that defeated look in his eyes, even when she found him beaten by the Huntress. Ty had always been a beacon of hope in the dark for Jazz right underneath her brother but now it looked like he'd given up all hope; it was scary. "I'm supposed to protect you, you're my responsibility and I'll be dammed if I let anyone hurt you."

Then it clicked, Jazz was sure if she could see herself she'd have a light bulb over her head and a shocked expression on her face. "That's it isn't it," she said a rush of emotions washing through her. "Someone threatened to hurt me." 

Ty's brown eyes widened, "N-no," he stuttered and Jazz smirked inwardly. "That's not it."

"Yes it is," she countered.

"No it's not."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yep."

"No."

They were leaning closer to each other both with a look of determination on their face, though Jazz's was cocky because she knew she was right. That was the only explanation and it made perfect sense. He was just being stubborn and didn't want to admit she was right. "Then what is the reason," she breathed inches away from him now.

Ty's eyebrows scrunched together before his face softened and he sighed, his soft breath gently caressed Jazz's cheek causing her to shiver in delight. "Sometimes I hate it that you're so smart," he told her jokingly. It was true sometimes Jazz was too smart for her own good.

Jazz immediately straightened up a victorious smile brightening her face, "I was right," she cheered. That thought settled in and her face dropped, "…I was right." She muttered that fact sinking in fear starting to rocket through her mind. 

"Don't worry Jazz," Ty said brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "When I told you I'd keep you safe I meant it, no one is going to hurt you." 

"But-"

"Shh, just listen," he said a note of seriousness evident in his tone. "Someone did threaten to hurt you Jazz but I took care of them, they won't be around anymore to keep that threat. I made sure of it," Jazz felt a shiver run down her spine when he said this. His face had twisted to take on a sort of pained angry expression and his light brown eyes changed to the empty golden pits that he had in Spectral form. He didn't look like her Ty anymore, he'd changed and she wasn't sure if it was for the better. 

Maybe she was just reading too much into it. If someone had threatened to hurt her of course Tyler would be angry. He wasn't different, Jazz refused to believe that he was. 

"Is that why- your face," she reached up and touched his cheek. He winced and she pulled away gasping, "I'm sorry did I hurt you?"

"It wasn't you," he said, eyes becoming distant, lost in a memory, his jaw tightened; a painful memory. He was remembering the reason why he and Jazz were where they were now, Blaze's grinning face flashed in his mind and he gritted his teeth. Anger swept through him, but fear of the ancient Shadowhunter smothered his anger like water on flame. No matter what he did Blaze would always be stronger than him and would always be a threat to his loved ones. It made him sick to his stomach with rage.

Jazz looked up at him worriedly about to ask who it was but Ty looked back down at her his expression changing dramatically back into that care free face she'd first seen. The look that just shouted, 'I'm totally and utterly confident and you can't touch this!' 

"But don't worry about that Jazzy because it's all over," he said slowly unwrapping his arms from Jazz, not noticing the disappointed expression coming across the girl's face. Jazz looked back into his eyes, they were flat and lifeless. Not anything like when she'd first met him.

He was still hiding something from her. She could tell now that his change in attitude was all forced; he was lying.

At that moment Jazz wanted nothing more than to have mind reading super powers, or at least the ability to tickle someone until they revealed their deepest darkest secrets. _But Danny's the lucky one, not me. _She was really getting annoyed, what was he hiding from her? It must be bad but she was going to find out what.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that," Jazz joked sarcasm masking her inner annoyance. She wanted Ty to trust her again but something inside her whispered that it would never happen again. Her mom had always said, things change you can do nothing to stop that change only deal with it. 

But Jazz didn't believe that. There was always something you could do, there was always a chance.

Ty snorted running a hand through his short spiky hair, "Uh…a lot?"

"Just about," she said rolling her eyes. The two fell into silence before Jazz peered suspiciously into his eyes, "Ty you're not still keeping something from me are you?"

Tyler looked appalled, "You don't trust me? And here I am bearing my soul out to you and you ask me something like that, just plain disrespectful," he said heatedly. Jazz eyeballed him and he added somewhat hastily, "No I already told you everything."

He seemed truthful but there was something holding Jazz back from believing him, _it must be my womanly intuition, _she reasoned. 

"Listen Jazz," Ty said pulling her from her thoughts, "I've really liked talking to you but I've got to get to work," he pointed over his shoulder. "Don't want to be late you know."

She looked over him, keeping her face carefully blank although she was totally suspicious. He was just acting way too strange, "Uh, yeah okay," she stuttered. "Um see you later?"

Ty picked his backpack up off the ground looking distracted, "M-maybe," he whispered. Jazz sucked in a breath about to object but Ty turned and started to jog away shouting a goodbye over his shoulder, Jazz said nothing only staring after him in complete shock. 

"No…not again," she whispered shaking her head. She was not going to lose him again, no way was she going to just let him walk out of her life. Before Jazz could completely understand what she was doing she found herself taking off in the direction Ty had disappeared to. Something wasn't right and she was going to find out what. 

Jazz peeked around the corner to see Ty jogging down the street at a steady pace heading towards the park. _That's not the way to his work, _she thought confused. Now she knew something was wrong. Jazz sprinted back for the school's parking lot before jumping into her car, fumbling with the keys for a moment before jamming them into the ignition. 

Two students who had just walked out of the school chatting quietly both jumped in surprise nearly falling onto their behinds. The cause of their shock was a car that had burst out of the parking lot going much faster than the speed limit. In a matter of moments all the two teenagers could see was the back end of the car before it screeched around the corner and disappeared from sight. 

"Who was that maniac," the girl whispered flattening her ruffled hair. 

"I don't know," the boy said helping the girl into an upright position. "But did you see that bumper sticker," he snorted barely controlling his laughter. 

"Yeah, hey Butch have you hugged your inner child today?" A moment later both teenagers were nearly crying from laughing having to lean against each other for support. They started walking again their brush with death forgotten. 

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Jazz slammed on the brakes, hair whipping around her head as she gasped for breath. She had never in her entire life driven that recklessly. At one point she had come upon a parked police car and had just barely managed to slow down to just over the speed limit. "Thank god I didn't get a ticket," she said turning her car off. It was then that she took note of her surroundings she gasped. 

Jazz had about two seconds to duck down in the back seat floorboards before Ty walked by the car. In her haste to catch up with he boy Jazz had actually passed him and thus ended up in her current position. Hiding in the back seat of her car with a notebook pulled over her head.

Ty paused on the sidewalk, standing mere feet from Jazz's car. He could have sworn the car belonged to someone he knew. The boy stared at the vehicle for a few more moments before shrugging unconcerned and continuing on into the park.

Jazz peeked her head up sighing at her close call. Then the suspicious side of her took over and she popped the car door open closing it gently behind her. Jazz took a step forward fully intent on chasing down her unsuspected prey but stopped. As in after thought she reached back into her car and pulled out a spare Fenton thermos before groaning a rueful grin coming across her face. "My parents craziness has finally rubbed off on me," she chastised. 

"Well you can never be too careful," she added. She wasn't planning on actually using the device but she did live in Amity Park. Who knows maybe she'd run into the creep creep (aka The Box Ghost) before the day was out and Jazz was pretty sure she could handle him. 

Jazz stuck the thermos in her back pocket and followed Ty into the park. Not two minutes after entering Jazz spotted Ty walking purposely for a bunch of trees in the back of the park. Jazz followed walking stealthily behind him. 

Ty paused, slowing a bit he had the feeling that someone was watching him and he prayed that it wasn't Blaze. He looked over his shoulder; a man and a woman were lounging on a blanket in the grass enjoying ice cream cones. A group of children were playing on the jungle gym, Ty saw one of them, a short boy with fuzzy brown hair, leap off the top of the monkey bars and landed with unexpected grace in the sand pit. His friends crowded around him giving him high fives, Tyler smiled.

Assured that he wasn't being watched Ty continued towards the mass of trees in a secluded part of the park. So he didn't see a red head peek around the trunk of a tree, Jazz breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close."

Jazz waited until Ty was safely within the cover of trees before dashing after him. She followed his path doing her best not to crunch the fallen leaves too loudly or brush against the bushes loud enough to make a noise. Just when she thought she'd gone too far Jazz caught sight of Ty and crouched behind a prickle bush looking through a gap in the branches. She slowly pulled the thermos out of her back pocket and set it beside her feet, close enough to grab if the need should arise.

Tyler looked around seeming as if he was searching for something it was then that Jazz felt a sudden drop in temperature. She shivered eyes widening. There was only one explanation for the cold air whipping around her and it wasn't a good thing. A ghost was near. 

"Oh my god," she whispered seconds away from jumping to her feet. The only thing that kept her knees firmly locked was the appearance of a black haired, blue skinned ghost right behind Ty. The ghost floated forward and tapped Tyler on the shoulder.

The boy whirled around a frightened gasp escaping his lips, Jazz snatched up the thermos fighting the urge to leap from cover and tackle the evil ghost before he could harm Ty. The only thing that kept her crouched was something her mom had always told her, "Never go charging headfirst into a dangerous situation without knowing everything that is going on." 

Jazz knew Ty was in danger, she knew Plasmius was dangerous and she knew she could stop what evil thing he was planning to do. Just as Jazz was about to charge into the clearing Tyler did something that made the girl freeze, her face paling and her eyes widening. He greeted Plasmius like an old friend.

Ty grinned, "Jeez Plasmius would you stop doing that!" 

Plasmius shrugged airily and said, "Maybe, when it starts to get old." 

Jazz gaped, it was impossible how could Ty know Plasmius? And why was he treating him like a good friend instead of an enemy? This was all wrong. This shouldn't be happening, much less to Ty. What was wrong with him? Didn't he know who Plasmius was and what he did? Jazz paused feeling the urge to slap her forehead, she never told Ty about Vlad Masters and Vlad Plasmius. She had planned on doing it but after they'd stopped talking to each other and hadn't gotten around to it. The result of that was staring her in the face.

"Great, thank you so much," Ty said sarcasm dripping off his words. Jazz's mind reeled, she hoped, she prayed that this wasn't happening. Yeah, maybe when she'd taken off for her car she'd slipped in a puddle and cracked her head on the sidewalk and this was all just some horrible nightmare. Any minute now she'd wake up in the nurse's office with her parents hovering over her worriedly babbling about ghosts.

Jazz wanted to believe the impossible, she really did but a part of her knew it wasn't true. What was happening was happening and it was all her fault. If only she'd told Ty sooner. What chance did she have of convincing him that Plasmius was evil if he seemed to already trust the ghost? Jazz took a bracing breath forcing her racing mind to focus on the two beings in the clearing. The least she could do was gather as much information as possible, get Ty alone and then tell him the truth. 

Jazz had missed a big chunk of the conversation and leaned in closer to catch what they were saying. 

"I'm not exactly sure when I'll run into him again but I think it'll be soon," Ty was saying referring to Blaze. The Shadowhunter had told Ty that he would see him again in a couple of days, and that had been two days ago. Plasmius nodded his arms crossed he was standing casually, 

"Yes, I would say either tomorrow or the next day and when he does you know what to do, correct?"

Tyler nodded a fire beginning to burn in his dull brown eyes, "I change into Spectral form and lead him back here where you'll be waiting." Ty didn't look exactly happy but the dark glint in his eyes was truly unnerving. He couldn't wait to see the look on Blaze's face when he met Plasmius and when he got his butt handed to him. He grinned viciously not knowing the grin caused Jazz to shudder a chill running down her spine. 

Plasmius nodded his spiky head, "Exactly, he will get what's coming to him." 

_Who were they talking about? _Jazz thought,_ whoever it was they were certainly headed for trouble._ Wait, Jazz sat back on her heels, _who would Plasmius have a grudge against that Tyler shared_? Jazz ran through a list of names in her head. Each name popping up and being disposed in rapid succession until only one name remained.

Danny. Or more accurately Danny Phantom, Jazz remembered Tyler telling her when Danny had sucked him into the thermos before injecting him into the ghost zone. She gasped before clamping a hand over her mouth; Plasmius stiffened his head turning around an inch. His piercing red eyes locked on the bush Jazz was hiding behind. But Jazz didn't notice she was in too much shock to notice. 

Tyler would have a grudge against Phantom. Was it big enough to actually work with Plasmius to get him back? And if it was what would they do to him? Jazz kept her hand over her mouth holding back the sobs rising in her throat. She couldn't, wouldn't believe that Tyler was evil. There was no way. It had to be just a big misunderstanding. Plasmius must be lying to him, tricking him the fruit loop was too good at manipulating people. 

"Plasmius," Ty asked noticing the ghosts' change in demeanor. "What is it?"

Plasmius smiled lightly turning back around to face the boy in front of him, "Nothing my boy, just envisioning our plan. Are you positive you'll be able to change?" As Tyler was answering Plasmius created an invisible duplicate before ordering into the trees to give the eavesdropper a surprise.

Jazz still shocked by her revelation pulled the cap off of the thermos. She knew Plasmius would hear her coming but she didn't care. She would not let him go through with his plan. Once she had the ghost safely in the thermos she would explain everything to Ty and he'd listen, she knew he would. But before she could move a cold hand clamped itself over her mouth, Jazz yelped and tried to scream but it was too muffled to even alert Tyler to her presence. 

"I think it's time for you to leave, Jasmine," a harsh voice whispered in her ear. Jazz was pulled backwards away from the clearing; she struggled but was unable to break free from whoever was holding her. She screamed and flailed her arms only to hit nothing but air, frustrated Jazz pulled her leg forward and swung it back into the shin of her assailant. 

Jazz was rewarded with a sharp, "Butter biscuits," she knew instantly who it was Plasmius. _He must have copied himself,_ she reasoned. Jazz tried to attack again but Plasmius wrenched her arms up into a very uncomfortable position causing her to gasp in pain. She continued to struggle but the copy had already pulled her a good fifty feet away, too far away for Ty to hear her. Plasmius released the girl, glaring dangerously at her. How he wished he was allowed to hurt the brat, but that would interfere with his plan.

Jazz pulled away from the ghost and whipped the thermos up pointing it at his face but Plasmius calmly smacked the device out of her grip, "Now, now Jasmine no need to resort to violence." 

Jazz scowled catching the man's smug tone, "I know what you're planning Vlad," she snarled backing away from the copy. Her eyes darted around the ground searching for the thermos; she saw the edge peeking out from under a pile of leaves and backed steadily towards it. 

"I'll tell Danny and he won't fall for your trap," she had to keep him occupied long enough to get the thermos. As long as she could get to it she could find Danny and stop this from ever happening, then she could tell Tyler the truth. It was obvious to Jazz that Plasmius had lied to him, once he heard the truth he'd help her take down the fruit loop.

Plasmius tilted his head to the side floating closer, "Dear girl this does not involve your brother, I don't know how much you heard but it doesn't matter you are not going to interfere." He reached forward faster than Jazz could react and stuck his intangible hand through her forehead.

Jazz gasped as pain lanced through her skull. She couldn't think, couldn't move, her legs turned to jelly and she found herself falling forward into darkness. 

ML: Whoo, that was long! And Jazz-filled! That's worthy of a double gasp. I don't really know why I did it through Jazz's POV, but it just felt right. I hope you liked it though! And I hope you caught the shout out to Butch Hartman up there. 

_B: Well I don't really care if you did because I wasn't in it! Why wasn't I in it?-glares accusingly-_

ML: That's what you get for being a jerk earlier. And you totally deserved it. But ignoring Mr. Annoying Muse the next chapter will be in Ty's POV, just a heads up and it will be called: Interferences. A real brain buster, ain't it? 


	15. Interferences

ML: Well, I'm trying to update faster than last time so that's why I'm here

ML: I am so sorry, readers. I have got the worst case of writer's block you could ever imagine, so I've been stuck on this chapter forever! But I'm here now so let's get started. And I've got an announcement I went back and changed something in the chapter: Moving On. The time jump is only a week now, kay. Oh and another thing, everyone say hello to the new beta for this story: JH24!

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom + Me No ownership.

Chapter 15: Interferences

Tyler Matthews didn't know what to think about his life anymore. He was a half spectral being, with freaky ghost powers, and an evil Shadowhunter after him that wanted to turn him to the dark side. He didn't really know who his friends were at this point, or who he could trust for that matter. And worst of all, the one person he cared for, the one person that he could trust and love was in danger. All because of _him_.

It was enough to make him sick to his stomach – which he actually had been twice during his sleepless night. He rubbed his stomach for a moment, staring unseeingly up at his ceiling. It was white and bumpy, like most ceilings are.

It was normal, something Ty would never be again.

The boy sighed and rolled onto his side, hugging his arms close to his body. Glancing at the clock he could see that it was 6:34 AM; that meant he'd have to get up soon. He would have to get out of his nice, safe bed and throw himself head first into danger. He would have to do it willingly, because if he didn't, others would suffer.

Maybe he should just stay in his bed. Maybe he should just give in to what Blaze wanted. If he did his loved ones would be safe. He would have to do bad things, but at least they would be safe. _And, is stealing really that bad? _He wondered, picking nervously at the edge of his blue comforter.

Stealing couldn't be that bad, right? Especially when it was for a good cause, and it wasn't like he would enjoy doing it. Maybe, just giving in would be the best thing to do. Suddenly, the door to his bedroom creaked open. Ty stiffened for a moment, before pretending to be asleep. As footsteps drew closer to the boy's bed, his body tensed more and more. _Please, don't be Blaze, please, please, _he thought desperately.

Tyler clenched his fists, forcing himself not to leap up. He felt a hand touch him on the shoulder followed by a soft voice whispering in his ear. "I love you Ty." The boy slowly let his muscles unclench and resisted the urge to sigh in relief. It was his mother.

Tyler felt a soft kiss land on his cheek before his mother backed away and disappeared through the door, her footsteps receding, until the front door closed. Ty visibly relaxed and let his head fall back into his pillow.

"I am pathetic," he chuckled dryly, running a hand down his face. Lately he had been jumping at shadows, both figuratively and literally. It was all because of Blaze, he was coming today. Today was the day that he -Tyler- and Plasmius would put their plan into motion.

But would it work? Ty wasn't exactly sure how powerful Plasmius was and compared to Blaze… he didn't know what chance the ghost stood against the ancient Shadowhunter. Of course, he didn't know all Plasmius could do either. So maybe, just maybe, his plan would work. And if it did, he wouldn't have to worry anymore. He would be safe and so would his only remaining family member. It was enough to make him sigh sadly, before crawling out of his nice warm bed and into an upright position.

Ty slowly arched his back, listening wearily as it popped and cracked. All his joints did that. His knees, elbows, fingers, and neck. It always managed to gross out his mom and had been especially annoying to Jazz. A smile etched itself across his face at the thought of Jazz. The other reason he was putting himself in danger, even though he'd never been the self sacrificing type. Usually, he was the kind of person who did things for himself and himself only.

But, lately he'd changed. It must have something to do with the shadow powers he had gained. Something about them made him feel stronger, made him feel that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. He chuckled ruefully. Here he was talking about doing the right thing.

Him, of all people to talk about justice! He would never have expected that two years ago.

Tyler sighed again, distantly thinking he'd been doing that a lot lately, and walked slowly to the bathroom. After a long six minute shower he stumbled back out, dressed in jeans and a Chicago bears hoody. He rubbed the towel vigorously through his short hair, flinging water droplets across his room.

The boy threw his towel onto the wooden floor and flopped back into his bed, his feet hanging off the side. He held up his left hand and narrowed his eyes at it. After a moment, golden energy sparked into life around his fingers, coating them in a golden hue. Ty gritted his teeth at feeling the strain of using his powers. It felt as if he was holding a one hundred pound weight in his hand. Exhaling deeply, he let the energy fade back into his palm, before reaching under the bed and pulling on a pair of black sneakers. He tied them, almost robotically, and sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Ty felt a stinging sensation in the corners of his eyes and blinked rapidly to push it away, but it continued. He sniffled and wiped a hand across his eyes, salty tears came away on the back of his hand. He stared at them curiously, as more tears ran tracks down his face. He didn't really know why he was crying. He didn't even know if he was sad. It just felt better to cry, even though he hadn't cried in almost two years.

Tears still running slowly down his cheeks, Ty stood up and walked out of his bedroom, down the steps and out his front door. He dragged a hand across his eyes to clear them of tears before closing the door quietly behind him.

-Danny-

Danny had never been a morning person, It usually took him a good thirty minutes to fully wake up, and since he'd gotten his ghost powers, he'd been losing a couple of hours of sleep each night, making things only worse for him. So, when Jazz barged into his room at 7:00 in the morning, he was, to say the least, very, very angry.

"Jazz," the half-ghost groaned as he pulled his pillow over his head. "You know how early it is? I was up all night chasing Skulker, so go away!"

"Danny, this is important! Get up," Jazz said throwing the blankets off her little brother. She'd woken up two minutes ago with a major headache. She couldn't remember exactly how she'd gotten home but one thing was very clear in her mind. Tyler was in trouble.

"School doesn't start for another hour Jazz, so leave me alone," Danny moaned, refusing to sit up and acknowledge his sister's presence. Danny settled back into his pillow, positive that Jazz would leave him alone after that. Just as he was starting to go back to sleep, he woke up with a shout of surprise, lying on the floor, after his sister pushed him, none too gently, out of his bed. Jazz looked down on him with false concern.

"Oh, Danny, are you alright? You need to be careful when you roll over like that. Your bed isn't that big."

The half ghost ground his teeth together and rolled onto his feet. "Alright Jazz, I'm up. What do you have to tell me that is so important you couldn't let me catch up on some sleep?"

Jazz said, "It's about Tyler." Danny nodded as if to say 'go on'. "I think he's in trouble, but I can't remember exactly why or how I just know he's in trouble." She began to pace. "I just woke up a few minutes ago and I had this really weird dream. I followed Ty to the park and he was fighting a ghost, but I can't remember what it looked like."

Danny looked worried. "Are you sure? Maybe it was just a bad dream. You don't really want to go rushing to the park to find that he's not even there."

Jazz lifted her chin and said steadily, "Danny, if there's even the slightest chance that he's in trouble I am going to find him."

Danny nodded slowly, knowing there was no talking to Jazz when she got that look. "Do you know where he's at, by chance?" Danny asked, keeping his voice firm so Jazz couldn't see his concern.

Jazz shook her head slowly. "I think he's at the park, but I could be wrong."

"Okay," Danny said. "Let's start with his house first, just to be safe. And then we'll go to the park."

Jazz interrupted with a worried expression, "Danny, what about school? If you leave now you won't be able to make it on time."

Danny paused, he'd just been about to go ghost and fly to Sam and Tuck's house, but his sister's words pulled him back. He had missed a lot of school lately, and if he missed today it might mean another detention. But, if Ty was in trouble he had to go. "Jazz could you call in sick for me? I'm going to pick up Sam and Tuck, just in case Ty really is in trouble."

His sister nodded, mentally smiling at her brother's quick wits. "Yes, and bring Sam and Tucker back here so we can grab some ecto guns." She started running towards the door, but stopped just before exiting. "And Danny, thanks."

Danny watched her go, allowing himself a slight smile, before changing into Phantom and shooting intangibly through the roof.

-Tyler-

Ty shivered as a cold breeze swept through him. He was standing in the park, alone, and beginning to get a little freaked out. It was so quiet. There was no one else around. The wind blew again and this time it moved the swings, which creaked with an eerie squeak.

The blond rolled his shoulders nervously. He hoped Plasmius showed up soon, or he might just decide to go to school and let Blaze find him there. The boy snorted at the absurd thought. He may have not liked his classmates, but he wasn't about to put them in unnecessary danger. _Though, it would be funny to see Dash come face to face with Blaze. Or Paulina for that matter,_ he thought with a mental laugh.

Another shiver ran down his spine, but this one was different. Tyler spun swiftly around to see Plasmius floating behind him, and he looked like he'd been about to say 'boo.' Ty raised an eyebrow, and said his voice emotionless, "You were gonna try it again, weren't you?"

Plasmius smirked. "Yes, but you are beginning to recognize when another ghost is around."

Ty shrugged, and looked around the park once more. A moment later he heard a scoffing snort come from behind him that pulled his attention back to Plasmius. "What," He asked incredulously.

The black haired ghost pointed accusingly at his jacket logo. "I didn't know you were a Bears fan."

Any other time Tyler would have cracked a joke at that, but lately, he hadn't been feeling like himself. Usually when he felt uncomfortable, he would let a witty remark slip, but after all he'd been through, he didn't have the heart for it anymore. He just didn't have it in him to joke around. "Yeah, what are you, like a Packer's fanatic or something?" He asked, laughing internally at the statement. The idea that a ghost could be a football fan was pretty funny.

Plasmius shrugged, looking slightly sheepish. "I wouldn't say fanatic," he trailed off.

"But you like them," Tyler said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Rex Grossman could beat Farv any day," he tested, watching the ghost with interest.

"I somehow doubt that," Plasmius said heatedly, crossing his arms over his chest. "How many super bowls have the Packer's won?" The ghost let the question hang and when Ty didn't retort he nodded, "Thought so."

"Okay," Ty said slowly. He turned away and muttered under his breath, "Cheese head."

Behind him Plasmius shook his head. Of course his most valuable pawn had to be a Bear's fan, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. The boy was perfect for his needs. He was vulnerable, naive and close to the Fenton's. Tyler was really all Plasmius could ask for. So, he would just have to grit his teeth and get through it. He still had to keep Tyler thinking he was only trying to help him. And after their little meeting with Blaze, he would most likely only have to deal with the child for a little longer.

"Moving on to more important matters," Plasmius said, getting the boy's attention. "Blaze should be arriving soon, so I suggest you act natural," the ghost twirled his cape around his body, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Well, that wasn't overly dramatic," he droned, but walked over to a bench and sat down. Acting, as Plasmius had said, natural, he leaned his head on his palm and waited. He shivered again and rubbed his arms furiously to warm them up. It was a dark, cloudy day. The gray clouds covered up the sun, hinting at the prospect of snow. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a freezing cold flake drifted slowly from the sky and landed on his nose.

"Great, I am not dressed for this," Tyler groaned, wiping the flake from his nose, as more snow lazily fell around him, quickly picking up speed.

"Well, you have to admit, it does fit the mood," A cold voice spoke suddenly from the empty air. That voice, Tyler knew that voice. It was the voice from his nightmares, the voice that sent shivers down his spine, and made his hair stand on end. The voice was smooth, casual, but held a sharp edge to it. Almost daring anyone to cross him badly. Ty knew it was Blaze, even before the man appeared in front of him, smiling calmly.

The ancient Shadowhunter stood out dramatically against the steadily increasing white snow. His dark black and white silk tunic and black pants, with deep black boots showed that the man was completely confident. Ty could see, even from far away, Blaze's glowing orange eyes that seemed to pierce into him like a knife. It contrasted with his dark black beard and light blue skin to paint an eerie picture.

"Oh, come now Shade," Blaze said, hands clasped behind his back. "You have nothing to say, where is that wit of yours?" Tyler knew Blaze was enjoying making him squirm, he could tell by his cold heartless smile. But, he wasn't going to let the man know he was afraid.

"Actually, I have a lot to say," Tyler said, standing up slowly, eyes wary. "But, my mom always said: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," he shrugged nonchalantly, praying that his inner fear wasn't showing on his face.

Blaze chuckled quietly and began to advance slowly on the young Shadowhunter. "As entertaining as this is, we have more important issues to attend to. I will begin your training today, and if you want to keep your little girlfriend safe, you will listen to my commands."

Tyler felt his hands begin to shake, and he clenched them into fists. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, refusing to back away, even though he so desperately wanted to, as Blaze came steadily closer. "I don't think so," the boy said, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm not doing anything you say, Blaze. And you are not going to hurt Jazz. You hear me!?"

Blaze stopped a few feet away from Tyler and shook his head slowly. "Are you really willing to put the lives of your loved ones at stake, all for your own selfish reasons?"

"Their lives aren't going to be in danger, because I'm going to stop you. Right here. Right now," Ty forced his eyes to take on a golden glow, and he narrowed them dangerously.

The ancient Shadowhunter smirked and chuckled, low and menacingly. "You? You're going to stop me? You can't even protect yourself. What chance do you stand against me alone?" Blaze laughed out loud, obviously enjoying what the young boy had said.

"Who said I was alone," Ty said quietly, a genuine smile spreading across his face. The first real one in at least a week.

Blaze frowned, _not alone? What does he –? _Suddenly, a pink ecto-blast slammed into his back, sending the Shadowhunter flying face first into a drift of snow.

Plasmius grinned as Blaze leapt back to his feet and turned around, his face twisted in a snarl of pure rage. Plasmius crossed his arms, looking at his opponent in a bored manner. "So, you must be Blaze. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but we both know that's not true."

Blaze relaxed his tense stance and dusted off his shoulders calmly before addressing the ghost in front of him. "Vlad Plasmius, it truly is an honor to meet you."

Tyler stared, while Plasmius flinched involuntarily. Plasmius's first name was Vlad? _He never told me that, _Ty thought, staring questioningly at his ghostly counterpart. Why hadn't Plasmius told him? And, why did he look so shocked that Blaze knew it?

"I must say this is a surprise," Blaze continued, edging closer to Ty, who backed towards Plasmius. "I didn't expect you of all _people_ to be the one to help one of my kind," Blaze emphasized the word people, a sickly smile planted on his face.

Tyler looked up at Plasmius confused. "What's he talking about?" He didn't understand how Blaze knew about Plasmius, and he didn't get why his words seemed to be affecting the ghost so much.

Plasmius pushed Tyler behind him, giving the boy a brief glare. "We'll talk about this later," he muttered. Plasmius then stepped forward, fixing Blaze down with an intense stare, his red eyes burning brightly. "Enough talk. This ends now," he growled as he made four duplicates of himself.

Blaze yawned, showing he was clearly not impressed. Grinning evilly, he duplicated himself as well. The original Shadowhunter, and each of his doppelgangers, began to form intense, glowing energy within their hands.

From behind Plasmius, Ty heard the ghost suck in a quiet breath. "Well, this should be interesting," he muttered and launched himself into battle. Ty backed away from the battling ghosts, his mouth hanging open in awe. He'd never seen such a display of power before in his life. Ty gasped as a stray ecto blast came hurtling his way. He ducked and rolled out of the way just in time, and the blast collided with the spot he'd been moments before.

Ty looked back just in time to see the blast throw up a spray of dirt, grass and snow. He covered his eyes with his left arm until the dust had settled. The teen gasped loudly upon what he saw next. Standing, not ten feet away from the raging battle, was a group of teenagers. A group of very familiar teenagers. Sam and Tucker were standing furthest away, almost obscured by the falling snow. Tyler's gaze traveled to the other teenager beside them, and his heart beat increased. It was Jazz, looking as pretty as the day he met her.

His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the other teen in the group, who just happened to be floating a few feet off the ground. Danny Phantom. _Plasmius was right_, Ty decided, _this is going to be very interesting. _

-Jazz-

After Danny had collected Sam and Tuck, the four teens had hightailed it to the park as fast as they could, Jazz in the lead. At first, there didn't seem to be anything wrong. The snow was drifting lazily from the sky. Already a good layer had covered the ground. But, as they walked further in, it became evident that they weren't alone. The first clues were the sounds of shouting and angry cursing. Then, small explosions appeared in front of them, shaking the ground ever so slightly.

Jazz and the others rounded the copse of trees and stopped in their tracks, at the sight of an all out war. She saw Plasmius first; he had duplicated himself several times and was battling against the doppelgangers of another ghost, one she had never seen before.

The ghost looked very human, except for the glowing blue skin and eyes. He was clothed almost completely in black, and his eyes were glowing a deep orange, along with his hands. Plasmius, and the mystery ghost, were fighting a harsh battle. Each dealing out heavy punches and blows, and snarling when the other gained the upper hand. The two looked so evenly matched Jazz wasn't sure who was winning or loosing.

Then, her eyes found who she'd been looking for. Tyler. And he was staring right back at her, with an array of emotions crossing his face. Their eyes connected and Jazz felt herself shiver with delight. But then, his eyes drifted away from her and they narrowed dangerously, flashing a deep gold.

Jazz looked at the target of Tyler's sudden aggression, and swallowed nervously. _My brother?_ Why was he so mad at Danny? But then it hit her like a ton of bricks, Danny was in ghost form. Ty wasn't mad at him, he was mad at Phantom.

Ty jumped to his feet, snow clinging to his hair, and shouted at them. "What are you guys doing here?" Jazz almost couldn't hear him over the cries and shouts of the battling ghosts and she wanted to get closer.

But Phantom held her back, he shook his head. "Don't, with Plasmius here you three need to stay down."

Jazz opened her mouth to argue but Danny silenced her with a glare. "Jazz, I don't know who that other ghost is. And if he's taking on Plasmius he must be strong, so please, stay back."

She closed her mouth and nodded. "Okay, Danny," she whispered.

Tyler quickly ran towards Jazz and the others, past the two fighting ghosts. The boy flinched when he saw a Blaze copy being blasted backward into his direction. Just as Jazz was about to shout a warning, Ty ducked and then jumped, much higher than any normal human should have been able to, at least over ten feet, and landed, with unexpected grace in front of the group of teens.

"Whoa," Tucker murmured, his eyes wide with awe.

Jazz made a move towards Tyler, but he held a hand up, stopping her approach. "I'll ask again. What are you doing here?" His narrowed eyes strayed over Sam and Tucker, until Phantom stepped in front of them.

"We came because you were in trouble," he said firmly, snow billowing into his face, but he didn't even shiver. Phantom tilted his head in the direction of the battling ghosts and their doppelgangers. "Mind explaining who they are?"

Tyler's glare became more defined when Danny began to talk, and his eyes flashed in golden glow. "Yeah, actually I do. Didn't I tell you to leave me alone, ghost? I don't need your help and I certainly don't need these two here," he titled his head towards Sam and Tuck.

"Excuse me," Sam started, balling her hands into fists, but Tucker restrained her, whispering something into her ear.

"You've put them in unnecessary danger. I don't want to be responsible for their safety," Tyler stepped closer to Phantom, so they were nose to nose. "If you know what's good for them, you'll leave, now." Jazz stared at him in shock; she had never heard him speak that way before. His voice sounded so hard and cold. Added with his glowing eyes and feral snarl, it was frightening.

Danny actually faltered briefly after hearing his friend's voice, and he looked over his shoulder at Jazz, Sam and Tucker. Jazz quickly stepped forward. "Ty we're only trying to help, and they know what's going on. They know about you," she stopped abruptly when Ty swung his glowing gaze onto her.

"You told them?" he growled. Jazz stepped back, in fright, when she saw the pulsating golden glow around Tyler's clenched fists. It looked like electricity, and she felt it was very dangerous. "You promised not to tell anyone, I trusted you." he hissed. She could see the look of pain and betrayal in his eyes, and she frowned worriedly.

That wasn't what she meant at all. Danny had figured out Tyler's identity on his own, she'd had nothing to do with it. She opened her mouth to protest, but Danny's voice interrupted her. "Look out everyone!"

Jazz looked up, and gasped as she saw a large ball of orange and pink energy hurtling towards them through the fresh falling snow, bouts of steam flowing in its wake. She couldn't move, her feet seemed to be locked to the ground. She couldn't even open her mouth to scream. The ball of energy sliced towards her, Sam and Tucker and each were frozen in shock and fear.

But, just before the energy collided with the fear stricken teens, a green dome of energy encased them, causing the energy to slam into the shield and dissipate into nothing. Jazz opened her eyes slowly, and released a tight sigh of relief. That had been way too close.

"You see, this is why you need to get her out of here," Tyler shouted from somewhere behind Jazz. She spun around and saw Danny, still in Phantom form, being held by the collar, by an extremely irate Tyler. "Ghost, listen to me! Unless you want them to end up like that," he pointed to the smoldering patch of ground where the ecto-energy had exploded. "Get them to safety."

Jazz blushed when Tyler said _her,_ because she knew who he meant. Danny was looking at the glaring blond with a glare of his own, and Jazz knew he was only a moment away from clocking Ty in the jaw, and that would definitely not help the situation. She had to do something.

"Stop," she shouted, stepping in between the two boys. "Stop it right now," Jazz glanced between the two sets of glowing eyes. Deep gold and bright green, before coming to rest on the golden eyes of Tyler. "We're trying to help, if you'd only listen-" she was once again interrupted, but this time by something much worse.

A Plasmius and Blaze copy had been fighting less than ten feet away from the group of teenagers, but suddenly the Plasmius duplicate was propelled backwards by a blast of orange flame, and ended up crashing into Danny, Jazz and Tyler. Jazz gasped for air as someone landed on top of her, pushing her toward the ground. She forced her eyes open, just in time, to see the Plasmius clone holding its head with a woozy expression before disappearing in a pink burst of smoke.

Jazz groaned, and coughed trying desperately to refill her lungs. She was starting to think that maybe coming to the rescue wasn't exactly the best idea.

-Tyler-

_I am so glad I've gotten used to getting hit on the head, or this would really hurt right now, _Ty thought, shaking his head slowly to clear his vision. That Plasmius clone had hit him pretty hard, and landing in the cold snow and frozen ground didn't exactly help.

He wiped a hand across his face to clear his eyes of snow, and looked around, swallowing nervously when he saw that Plasmius was loosing clones fast. He needed help, but what could he do? Ty bit his lip in thought. _Maybe I should at least change into Shade._ He nodded and clenched his eyes shut, focusing all his energies on changing into his Shadow form. After only a moment, he felt the cold feeling rush up his spine, and the weightless feeling filled his chest.

Tyler released a tight breath, as he felt his Shadow half drift out of his human body. Tyler stayed on the ground, lying motionless, while Shade floated into a standing position, booted feet slipping easily into the gathering snow. He opened and closed his gloved hands slowly, examining his blue skin with interest. Now there was a slight golden tinge to his usual weird, green blue skin. Ty shook the thought away. It was probably nothing. Besides, there were more important things to worry about right now.

"Shade!" A sharp yell pulled the boy out of his revere, and he jerked his head up to see Phantom grappling with a Plasmius and Blaze clone. "A little help here!" The white haired ghost hollered, ducking out of the way of a blast of orange ecto energy.

Shade seriously considered ignoring the ghosts' plea for help, because he didn't really want to help Phantom. But, he looked like he was in trouble, and it would give Shade an opportunity to land a hit on Blaze.

_The enemy of my enemy is my friend,_ hadn't he heard that somewhere before? It hadn't made sense then, but now it seemed to be crystal clear to him. Shade roared in anger as he leaped straight at Blaze, his hands igniting in crackling golden energy. The young Shadowhunter couldn't care less if his target was only a doppelganger or the real one, he was going to take him down. No matter what happened. He brought his fist back and then swung forward, in a mighty roundhouse punch that connected hard with the Blaze's head.

There was a loud boom, and the Blaze copy erupted into a fine orange and gold mist that disappeared into the air. The remaining energy in Shade's hand exploded into the ground, sending up mounds of dirt and snow, leaving Shade panting in a small crater, the dirt still steaming around the edges.

Shade yanked his hand out of the ground, wincing as he did and rubbed his sore knuckles. He let a small smile creep across his face. His dad had taught him how to fight. His dad had made him go to a boxing class four days a week for over three years, but after he'd left Shade had stopped going. He guessed that the knowledge just never left you. Shade never would have thought he'd have to use his boxing knowledge to actually hurt someone.

The teen checked his hand, and grimaced when he saw it swelling up like a grapefruit. He touched it gingerly, and hissed in a silent breath. It felt like a few of his knuckles were broken. "Just like riding a bike," he muttered, before looking around for his next target.

His target found him first it seemed, when Shade felt a sharp blow to his back, sending him flying into a pile of snow. He rolled out of the snow, coughing for breath, and glared at the Blaze in front of him. Something told Shade this was the real deal.

"You see Shade," Blaze said, a maniacal grin plastered on his face. "When you let the power go you can do incredible things, and terrible things as well."

Shade flinched at his words before becoming angry. He was so tired of being lectured to! He couldn't stand it any longer. "Like you want me to do?!" He screamed, energy crackling from his hands and spreading to his forearms.

"Stealing isn't terrible, Shade," Blaze said, shaking his head. "Destroying cities, hurting your friends, killing other people, however, would be terrible. If you don't learn to control what power lies inside you, you will regret not taking my offer," The ancient Shadowhunters' eyes glowed brighter at the statement, but he was no longer smiling, he looked almost … regretful?

_No, he couldn't possibly be sad. I can't imagine someone like him having any feelings at all_. "I would never hurt anyone," Shade growled, taking a step forward.

"Oh, you wouldn't," Blaze said, his voice sickeningly soft. "I would beg to differ Shade, look over there and see which one of us is right." Blaze waved his arm and pointed through the falling snow and battling clones to a small limp body, half buried under the snow. All Shade could see was a mess of orange hair under the whiteness of the snow. His eyes widened in horror. _Jazz!_

Shade sprinted past Blaze and to Jazz's side, his knees landing heavily in the dirt and snow. "J-Jazz," he gasped. She wasn't breathing, or at least didn't appear to be. Her clothes were ragged with burn marks and her arms were covered in red burns, her face was covered in soot and scrapes. Shade felt someone come up behind him, and he whirled around knowing it was Blaze, "You- you did this to her!" He yelled, tears clogging up his throat.

"It wasn't me, Shade. It was you." Blaze said solemnly, nodding his head to the spot Shade's golden lightning had just recently destroyed a clone. Jazz was lying disturbingly close to the crater and then the pieces fell into place for Shade. He collapsed onto his knees. "No," he whispered softly.

Jazz had seen him change into his Shadow form. Jazz had rushed forward, yelling at him to stop. Jazz had been standing too close to the clone when he let loose his ecto-energy, and then she had been hit by the remaining attack when he thought he let it loose into the ground. Shade had hurt her. It was his fault. Tears stung his vision, but he forced them down and crawled to Jazz's side. He leaned down and put his ear to her face, letting loose a cry of joy when he felt a slight puff hit his cheek.

"Sam, Tucker!" He shouted above the battle, hoping to get their attention. "Please Sam, Tucker I need your help!" He bawled, tears finally creeping down his face. Shade felt a cold presence rise up behind him, and a strong grip touched his shoulder.

"This is only the beginning, Shade." Blaze whispered in his ear. "If I do not teach you, others will fall to the same fate." Then he was gone, the sounds of battle fell away, before stopping and then silence spread across the clearing.

Shade sat half buried in snow, head lowered, and salty tears falling from his eyes. "No," he whispered, clutching onto Jazz's burnt hand tightly, biting back the urge to burst into sobs. He looked closer, and could just barely make out the slow rise and fall of Jazz's chest as she breathed. "Jazz, I'm so sorry. So sorry," he whispered, and the natural glow around him slowly dulled, until it entirely disappeared.

ML: I've got nothing to say except thank you for reading and buckle up for the next chapter it's going to be a bumpy ride.


	16. Light and Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 16: Light and Dark

_Why is this happening? _The boy thought, burying his hands into his short hair. He sat, hunched over in a hard, plastic hospital chair. All around him, doctors and patients alike hurried back and forth, all lost in their own tasks and lives.

They had no idea of the desperation that raged within the blond haired teenager. They had no clue of what he was going through, or what he was thinking. And they might not have even cared. For all Tyler knew he was invisible.

He chuckled in sardonic humor. It hadn't been a particularly funny joke but considering the irony it struck a chord inside him. A nurse rushed by his silent vigil, pushing a crash cart, looking worried and Ty prayed she wasn't headed for room 108. _Anything but room 108, _he thought, his wiry shoulders shaking slightly.

Room 108 belonged to Jazz. Tyler buried his head in his hands once more, forcing down the lump rising in his throat. His mind was assaulted by the memories of what happened in the park just hours before.

_A roar of rage. A flash of golden lightning. A barely audible scream of terror and pain. Tears, salty stinging tears. Laughing, horrible laughing. A chilling presence. Cries of anguish. Burning green eyes. _

"No," Ty moaned, biting the inside of his cheek until it bled. He didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to think about it ever again. But how could he not? After all, it was his fault. The words stung even though he didn't say them out loud. They burned with an unnatural fire and he refused to think about them again. He would never blame himself for things he couldn't control ever again.

Brown eyes lifted to the ceiling over his head, filling with steely resolve. But the eyes glazed over with sorrow and slowly lowered back to his palms. One of his hands was wrapped tight with padded gauze around the knuckles and stung whenever he clenched his fists. But he was glad it hurt, he deserved to be in pain. He hoped that some of the physical pain would take away the mental agony he was feeling. "Why did I do it," he muttered, almost too quiet to hear. "Why did I lose control like that? Why did it have to be Jazz?"

He just couldn't get the image of Jazz's injured body out of his mind, every time he closed his eyes he saw her lying there. The only thing worse than that was seeing Danny Fenton's accusing eyes and shocked expression. Tyler had no idea where he'd come from. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pushing him away from Jazz and shouting at him to stay back. After that Danny and his friends had dragged Jazz out of the snow and called an ambulance.

Shade had slunk away from the Fenton siblings, silently searching for his human body. After minutes of looking he'd found it buried under a drift of snow. Shade dove back into his body and snuck out of the park shivering from the cold and shock. Now he was alone in the hospital, too frightened to go up to room 108 to confront the Fenton family. He was sure Danny had explained to his parents what happened and he was also sure in the story he hadn't come out looking like the hero. Ty didn't even want to imagine the accusing stares he was bound to receive from them.

And of course Plasmius had to disappear the moment things went south, _I bet he just needed to recharge or something, _Ty decided, not wanting to think the worst of the ghost. Suddenly the boy felt his stomach growl and he touched it lightly with a bandaged hand, he hadn't eaten since yesterday and it was already late afternoon. And he just realized he was hungry, very, very hungry.

_I guess it couldn't hurt to get something to eat, _he thought dejectedly. The teenager stood up. His legs were still feeling somewhat unsteady, carefully he shuffled across the waiting room to the hallway containing a couple vending machines.

The hall was deserted and gave off an eerie feeling that was almost tangible, Ty shivered and jammed his hands into his pockets. He had never liked hospitals.

Standing in front of the machine Ty searched around inside his jeans pockets and scowled upon not finding any money. He was broke. The blond snarled and slammed a fist against the vending machine but drew in a sharp breath when pain lanced up his knuckles and arm.

Tyler stared at the food; feeling annoyed that only a thin layer of glass separated him from what he wanted. And he was so hungry, as if to emphasis his point his stomach rumbled loudly. He rubbed his bandaged hand slowly. _It couldn't hurt if I just reached in and grabbed something. _The teen frowned thoughtfully. _I mean, I really need it. It's not stealing in that case, right? _

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he still knew it was wrong. Despite the realization, the young Shadowhunter slowly raised his right hand, driven by his own hunger.

Tyler looked back and forth down the hallway and when he saw it was clear he stuck his intangible hand through the glass and snatched a bag of cookies and chips. He pulled the food items greedily out of the machine and stuffed them into his pocket. He grinned and reached back in for more when a condescending, humor filled voice spoke up behind him,

"That's called stealing, you know."

Tyler gasped, yanking his intangible hand out of the glass as he turned around, only to have his right arm grabbed in an iron grip and pulled behind him. Ty felt himself being spun around and he yelped as his face was pressed roughly against the hospital wall. "And here I thought you weren't capable of such a thing. I'm exceedingly proud of you," the harsh voice breathed in the boy's ear, causing him to shiver in fright. It was Blaze, but Tyler knew he should have been expecting that.

"Let go of me, you sick bas-" Tyler snarled, only to be slammed with his head against the wall, hard enough to make his vision spin.

"What did I tell you about watching your language, boy?" The ancient Shadowhunter chuckled. Tyler growled in his throat and tried to break free of Blaze's hold but the older Shadowhunter easily subdued his struggles. "That was pathetic, Shade. Were you even trying to escape?" Blaze asked condescendingly.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Ty whispered in an emotional voice. He couldn't save himself; he couldn't even keep his loved ones safe, what was the point in even trying anymore?

"Because, Shade, you have too much potential to be left alone," Blaze explained, as if it were obvious. Tyler glanced up and down the hallway as much as he could. Several people walked passed them, but no one seemed to notice what was going on. _How can nobody see this? _

"Ah, you're wondering why no one has come to your rescue," Blaze said, noticing the boys' darting eyes. "We're invisible to both the eyes and ears of a normal, _human_," The ghost spit the word out as if it burned his tongue.

"How," Tyler croaked, realizing his situation just became even more hopeless.

"Why, my powers of course, Shade," The older Shadowhunter exclaimed, his voice becoming lighthearted in a manner of only seconds. "But if you knew how to control yours, you wouldn't be in this predicament, now would you?"

Tyler closed his eyes momentarily at the ghosts' cruel joke, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. How could one evil ghost affect him that much? And how was he going to get out of this? Tyler took a deep breath and focused on becoming intangible. It took him less time than usual and he gasped as he felt himself fall face first through the wall he was pressed up against. Ty tumbled out of the wall and landed in a heap of towels on the other side. He glanced around, his body tingling all over from using his power, and noticed he was in a nurse's lounge, and there sitting at one of the tables was his mother.

Ty leapt to his feet and sprinted to his mom, shouting her name, only she didn't react. She didn't even glance at him when Tyler stopped in front of her waving his arms frantically. "Mom? Mom, can you hear me?!" His mother didn't even blink at his shouts and Ty froze, _what's going on? _

The only warning Tyler had of Blaze's presence was a cold chill that danced up his spine. The boy tried to spin around but a fist slammed into his left shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Oh please, boy. Your mother can't hear you, no one can. No one is going to save you," Blaze sneered as he walked towards the fallen teenager.

Tyler rolled onto his knees, biting back the pain in his stinging shoulder, and stared up at Blaze dejectedly. There was no way out, Blaze could easily beat him to a pulp and he wouldn't be able to stop him. "What do you want from me?" the ghost teen asked quietly, glancing back at his mother as she sighed and exited the room with an exhausted expression.

Tyler knew he could no longer fight Blaze, he was completely alone. The only way to get out of this was to listen to what that maniac had to say.

"You know what I want," Blaze said calmly. "And I do not think I'm asking too much of you, Shade."

The blond pushed his tired legs into an upright position and he slowly stood up, leaning a hand on a nearby table to keep himself from falling down. "I will not go against my morals, Blaze, I just won't," he whispered the last part, shaking his head sadly.

Blaze examined the young Shadowhunter with a thoughtful expression, a hand came up to rub his chin and his orange eyes narrowed. "Very honorable for one so young. You truly are a Shadowhunter, Shade." The man murmured softly, he looked directly into Ty's eyes and the boy hissed in a frightened breath expecting the worst. But nothing came; Blaze only shook his head solemnly and waited a few seconds before speaking.

"If you would only open your eyes I could show you the true meaning of our kind," his voice was silky and persuasive. Tyler felt himself relaxing, for some reason Blaze's surprisingly friendly words had a calming effect on him. Yet he knew that he shouldn't let his guard down. But why did he feel …?

"We're not evil, Shade, we only survive by any means necessary," Blaze continued. "All I have ever tried to do is help you, and you defied me. See where it has gotten you? You hurt your friend because you couldn't control your powers." He slowly extended his right hand, smiling lightly. "But let me teach you, Shade. Let me be your mentor and you will never have to fear hurting your loved ones again."

Ty found himself nodding his head in agreement, almost against his will, but he wanted to believe the ancient Shadowhunter. The boy just couldn't stand to be alone any longer and Ty wanted to be able to trust somebody. The truth was his powers really scared him. He had hurt Jazz, someone he loved and cared about so much. Who was to say that he wouldn't hurt Danny or even his own mother? Tyler wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that.

But there was a part inside warning him that even considering Blaze's offer was completely wrong. He knew that Blaze was tricking him, but still … what other choice did he have left?

The young Shadowhunter pushed his doubts away, they didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was gaining control of his powers before he would hurt someone else. The teen sighed deeply, once he had said it, there would be no turning back. But he felt he had to do it, he just couldn't live like this, struggling with his powers everyday. He would be nothing more than a ticking time bomb. He took a deep breath, knowing what needed to be done.

"O-okay, Blaze, I-I want you to be my … mentor," the words felt powerful when Ty spoke them, like he had just signed a binding contract with absolutely no loopholes.

Blaze grinned – a predatory grin, Ty noted – and nodded. "Good, good. But I'm afraid that is not enough," Blaze stated, his expression growing more serious.

"Wha-"

The ancient Shadowhunter dashed forward, his body changing into a blur and almost immediately appearing directly in front of the boy, towering high above him. Tyler gasped in shock, he hadn't even had the time to register his movements. _He's really fast._

"We must shake on it. It is the Shadowhunter way."

Tyler swallowed nervously at the intense expression on the man's face and he shakily held out his good hand. Blaze stared at it for a moment, an emotion Tyler couldn't identify dancing in his fiery eyes. Blaze reached forward and clamped his much larger hand around the boy's, "It is a deal, then," he said delightedly.

Before Ty could even comprehend that sentence he felt a searing pain shoot up from his hand. He looked down and saw to his horror that Blaze was forming a golden, glowing energy sphere around their hands. The young Shadowhunter gasped and wanted to pull away but Blaze held firm, grinning victoriously. Ty fell to his knees when a jolt of the sharp pain spread up through his arm before traveling through every part of his body.

Blaze's grin disappeared. "Hang on, Shade," he said solemnly. "I'm doing this for you, I'm almost done." With these words the ancient Shadowhunter inserted a new wave of energy into the trembling and moaning teen.

Tyler screamed in agony, it felt as if his entire body was being consumed by fire. And then, just when he thought he could take no more, the pain leeched away, disappearing entirely in only a few seconds.

Blaze released his hand and Tyler fell forward, landing hard on his elbows. He was panting heavily as he stared at his hand with an astonished expression. There, in his palm, was a small insignia branded into his flesh. It looked like the Star of David, but with a circle incasing the tiny shape.

Tyler gaped up at Blaze, "W-what did you do?"

The ancient Shadowhunter gazed seriously at the shaking boy and murmured, "I've given you control over your powers, Shade. They will no longer react against your will, only when you call them will they respond."

Tyler shook his head, staring with disbelief into the palm of his hand at the strange design that refused to go away. It didn't hurt but, was that scar going to be there for the rest of his life? Would it ever fade away? And if it didn't, how was he going to explain it to his mother? She would think he had gotten a tattoo! And the teen knew all to well how she would react to that.

"But let's not worry about that now," Blaze said gently, and Ty stared at him in shock. He seemed to be a completely different ghost than before, sounding gentle and even … well, looking kind. What worried Ty the most was that it actually felt sincere. "Now is the time to rest," he placed a hand lightly against Ty's forehead and the boy instantly felt drowsiness assault his senses.

"When you wake up we will have much to talk about."

The teenager tried to fight against whatever was causing him to lose consciousness but it was an uneven battle. After a few moments darkness covered his vision and he let his head drop to the floor, an eerie laughter ringed in his ears.

* * *

On the third floor of the hospital another teenager sat hunched in a chair, grasping at his dark, black bangs with clenched hands. Danny Fenton stared unseeingly at a spot on the wall across from him. The only sound in the almost empty hallway was the quiet sobbing of his mother, while his dad was gently trying to calm his wife down, speaking kindly to her.

He wasn't sure if she was crying from joy or from worry. They had just heard that Jazz was going to be okay. She was burned pretty badly but she was going to be alright. _No thanks to that idiot, Matthews, _Danny thought vehemently, clenching his fists even tighter, staring angrily at the ground as that name crossed his thoughts.

It was his entire fault that Jazz was hurt. If only she had never met him, if only she'd had the sense to not get involved with him, then she wouldn't be here. _I knew all along something was wrong with him._ _I swear if I see him again- _The dark haired teenager broke off his train of thought, afraid of the intense emotions coursing through him. But then the image of Ty's hands blasting Jazz with that horrible golden energy sprung up in his mind and his thin eyebrows narrowed.

He would never let Tyler near Jazz again, even if she hated him for it. And he was sure he would never look on Tyler again as anything more than an enemy to be avoided. With his unstable powers he might even be a danger to Amity. _Not if I can help it._

A middle-aged doctor suddenly appeared out of the room that Jazz was in and walked up to the mourning family. Danny glanced at his name tag just as the doctor began to speak, "Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Jasmine is going to be fine as I told you before."

Maddie sagged into her husband in relief and Jack grabbed her hand firmly in his. "But," Maddie spoke up, her voice thick with tears. "There's a but, isn't there Dr. Perkins?"

The man sighed heavily and he seemed to deflate along with the sigh. "I'm sorry but yes there is," he ran a withered hand through his thinning brown hair. "Your daughter had second degree burns, we cleaned them up as much as we could but … I'm afraid there will be some scarring."

Maddie whimpered, the sound echoing through the quiet hallway and she buried her face in Jack's large shoulder. Jack stared at the doctor, too shocked to react. "H-how bad?" Danny's father asked quietly, his usually jovially voice morose.

"Not bad, but it will be noticeable if she wears bathing suits or tank tops," Perkins said, his eyebrows slanting low, causing wrinkles to appear across his forehead. "It was only on her arms, her face will be okay but-" he broke off when Maddie released a quiet sob.

"She's asleep right now, you can all come in and see her if you want."

Maddie and Jack immediately rushed to the door and disappeared inside, leaving Danny staring at the doctor without really seeing him. "I'm sorry, son," Perkins apologized as he patted the boy's shoulder. "You-your sister is going to need you the next few weeks."

Danny nodded, salty tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. "I know. Thank you," his voice sounding monotone. The doctor walked away, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. Danny rose shakily from the plastic chair and walked into the room.

His parents were standing at each side of the hospital bed, his mother to the left and his dad to the right. Danny took a spot at the foot of Jazz's bed and stared down at her prone form, the only things he could make out were his sisters' rumpled hair and a mess of tubes and wires attached to her small frame. Her face was buried under white gauze and her arms were coated in it. The only thing visible was her hair and even that had been cut down a bit because some of it had been too badly burned.

"You're gonna be okay, Jazzy-pants," Jack whispered clutching onto his daughter's hand. "You're gonna be okay."

* * *

As the sun sank from the sky, Danny became more and more anxious. He couldn't stand being in the hospital room any longer; his anger was forcing him to pace back and forth. And it was beginning to bother his parents. The half-ghost clenched his fists a several, staring out the window before he could take no more.

"Hey dad," the teenager said, spinning around to face his father. "I'm gonna go stretch my legs for a while, but I'll be back soon."

"Alright, son," the large man replied, not taking his eyes from Jazz, who was still sleeping. "Come back when you're ready."

Danny walked out into the hallway, gently closing the door behind him. He stalked into the men's room and made sure he was alone before transforming into his ghost half. Willing himself intangible, he shot through the roof and flew into the air. Danny was shaking from pure anger and frustration. He wanted to blast something with his ecto-energy, he wanted to pound some random ghost until his fists bled. But most of all he wanted to find Tyler and beat him to a pulp.

_I can't believe I trusted him, _the boy thought as he accelerated his speed, changing his legs into a transparent wisp. He'd always had a feeling there was something off about Tyler, but he had pushed those thoughts away for Jazz, willing to give them a chance together. And now … now he was regretting every moment of his decision.

_I should have never let my guard down, and now Jazz has to pay for my mistake. _

A bright, glowing green aura began to form around Danny's hands and the ghost boy increased his speed even more, flying with incredible velocity. Hoping to reach his destination before he lost control. There was only one problem, he had planned to blow off some steam once he had reached the park, but he didn't really know how.

_I can't just start destroying stuff, but I really need to do something or I'll explode, _he thought, feeling his restless energy building inside him.

After a minute he found himself above the park, searching for a good place where he could release his built-up anger and frustration without destroying anything. He frowned thoughtfully, his gaze resting on the lake beneath. _Hm …, maybe I can shoot some blasts into the water, I-_

The teen halted his thoughts as a blue wisp of smoke escaped from his mouth. _My ghost sense …? Who could that be? _Danny descended to the ground, deciding to keep himself hidden for the moment, while doing so something caught his eyes, a blur disappearing between the trees to his left.

Danny floated curiously in the direction he had seen the ghost go to. After willing himself intangible he moved through several trees and bushes before finally catching a glimpse of the target he followed. The young half-ghost immediately recognized the familiar form of Skulker. He raised an eyebrow, as he wondered what the ghost was doing here.

Skulker appeared to be scanning for something with a device positioned on his wrist. The ghost was turned with his back towards Danny and he hadn't noticed his presence yet, as far as he could tell. The teenager narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. _Why is he doing that here? Unless … _Danny finally recognized his surroundings and he gasped softly. This was where the battle between Plasmius and the other ghost had taken place. This was where Jazz had been hurt.

_But, what is he scanning for? _Danny frowned and left his invisible and intangible state, standing his tallest.

"What are you doing here, Skulker?" The half-ghost shouted, startling the hunter ghost.

Skulker spun around, his eyes narrowed threateningly. However, Danny was not planning to back down, in fact, he felt almost happy that he encountered him here. He really wanted to blow off steam, and fighting Skulker seemed to be a great way to do it. The thought that the ghost hunter would love to have his pelt on the wall didn't bother him even the slightest at this point.

"Wouldn't you like to know, ghost-child," Skulker answered, grinning evilly. A hint of amusement lining his voice.

"Yeah actually, I would!" Danny shouted, throwing a blazing ecto-blast at Skulker's head. The ghost ducked to the side, looking over his shoulder to see the blast slam into the ground behind him before exploding. His eyes widened briefly in shock.

_Normally the ghost-child isn't that aggressive, how … Wait, of course. _The hunter smirked and looked at Danny again. _This might become interesting._

Skulker slowly walked towards the young half-ghost. "Somebody is angry," the ghost said, still smiling. "Worried about your sister, are you whelp?"

The comment froze Danny in his tracks, and he stared at Skulker with rage burning in his green eyes. His clenched fists erupted with fiery green energy, "Tell me what you're doing and I won't hurt you." The teenager said seriously, though there was an underline of danger in his tone.

Skulker laughed loudly at the boy, throwing his head back and holding his stomach. "That's a good on-" he was interrupted when something slammed into his chest, strong enough to send him flying backwards. The ghost slid across the ground on his back, before slamming his head into the trunk of a tree. Skulker opened his eyes, while rubbing his head, to see the ghost boy charging at him, with a fearsome expression.

_I think I struck a nerve, _Skulker thought as he jumped into the air with the help of his jets. Danny changed course with incredible speed and caught the hunter in the jaw with a powerful uppercut. Skulker flipped through the air, trying desperately to regain flight, but before he could do so the half-ghost shot a blast of energy at him, hitting an astounded Skulker directly in the face.

He crashed into the ground and winced as he heard one of his jets break off. Skulker looked in shock at the angry ghost boy in front of him, his hands encased in a burning green glow and his eyes shining intensely. _I definitely struck a nerve. _

Suddenly the teen dashed forward, locked onto his target. The ghost hunter quickly rolled to the left, avoiding his incoming opponent. He then quickly stood up and retaliated by firing a volley of missiles. However, Danny launched himself into the air to avoid them, but gasped when he noticed the missiles following him, hot on his tail.

_Ecto-seeking missiles, not bad tin head, _Danny thought, grinning slightly. Not hesitating for a moment, the half-ghost increased his speed and changed his legs into a wisp again, flying higher into the air.

Skulker followed the unfolding events from below with interest. _What's he doing?_

Suddenly Danny blasted off towards the ground with amazing velocity, swirling in a spiraling motion several times as he dived towards the ground. Skulker didn't understand what his prey was hoping to achieve with his actions, but it didn't matter. He activated a gun on his right arm and aimed it at his target. He then noticed that the ecto-missiles were slowing down, apparently getting confused by the whelp's erratic movements, they began to move in a swirling patter as well, creating a larger distance between the projectiles and their goal.

The ghost hunter growled in irritation, _this will be harder than I thought. _

Satisfied with the still increasing gap between him and the missiles, Danny turned and unleashed a torrent of ecto-blasts, the incoming and lethal weapons all locked on to the blast, exploding within seconds. The ghost boy then swooped down and fired another blast at his opponent.

Skulker gasped again, and rolled to his right, the burning energy sphere barely missing his head.

Skulker came up on one knee and fired back at the approaching half-ghost. Only one shot managed to touch the furious child, who had changed the wisp back into his legs, but it did nothing to slow him down and he slammed into Skulker full force, bringing them both to the ground. Danny landed on top of the ghost, kneeling on his barrel chest. The boy grinned and drove his blazing fists into the ghost's face. After the third hit Skulker's robotic head popped off and flew several feet back.

Danny smirked as he stood up and walked slowly over to the disembodied head, watching in amusement as Skulker's legs kicked uselessly in the air. The half-ghost grabbed the tiny ghost's legs and pulled him out of the helmet, holding him upside down in front of his face.

"Now are you ready to talk?" the teen asked, staring at the tiny creature with narrowed eyes.

Skulker's true form stared at the boy with undisguised hatred and he crossed his arms defiantly. "I don't think so, ghost-child," the ghost said, his high pitched voice sounding serious.

Phantom sighed sadly, "Oh well. It was nice knowing you Skulker. I really will miss our late night hunts." The boy raised his hand, pointing his glowing green palm at the helpless creature. If the little ghost wouldn't have been so focused on the growing energy sphere in front of him, he could have noticed the lighter and more playful tone within the ghost-child's voice. Just as he was about to release the attack Skulker threw up his hands.

"Okay, wait wait! Don't shoot!" Phantom lowered his hand and stared at Skulker expectantly. The ghost sighed and mumbled something under his breath before replying, "I was scanning an ecto signature for Plasmius to see how powerful it was."

Danny frowned, "Whose signature?" he demanded, shaking the ghost gently for good measure.

Skulker waited until the shaking had stopped before he continued. "I'm not sure. I've never seen him before. I think Plasmius called him Blaze." He glared at the ghost-boy, "Now can you put me down?"

The half-ghost scowled, but let him go as he took a step back. Skulker immediately floated over to his dismembered head, his tiny form trembling with anger. "I think you should return to the hospital, ghost-child," the ghost said over his shoulder.

_Why does he want me to go there? _The boy thought in confusion, and then it hit him. "Jazz," he gasped as he leapt into the air.

Skulker watched him go before shaking his head angrily. He glared at his broken suit and snarled, "This will take days to fix. I'll get that whelp back for this." Grumbling quietly under his breath, the small ghost began to piece his suit back together, annoyed that he had broken it for one of Plasmius's crazy schemes.

* * *

Danny had never flown so fast in his entire life since becoming a half-ghost. The wind was hitting his face so hard that it actually hurt, but he pushed his pain away, only focused on reaching Jazz before something terrible happened to her. When the hospital came into view he was going to phase through the roof, but something stopped him in his tracks.

He spotted Plasmius standing atop the hospital roof, his hands crossed lightly over his chest. Even from far away Danny could see the smug smile on the other half-ghost's face.

"Daniel," The man purred. "So good to see you."

"Plasmius," The teenager spat, feeling his anger return ten fold. "What are you doing here, fruit loop?"

The older half-ghost frowned at the nickname, but quickly pushed away his rising temper. It always amazed him how the boy could press his buttons so easily, but he could always do it right back. "I saw what happened to dear Jasmine in the park and I came to see how she is holding up," he answered smoothly, watching the boy's reaction with interest.

The teenager tensed up as if he'd been shocked and his face twisted into a snarl. "Don't you dare say her name; it's your fault she's where she is now!"

Plasmius drew back in false shock, "Now that's hitting below the belt, Daniel." He floated a little into the air and tapped his chin thoughtfully, "If I remember correctly it was that boy with the unstable powers who was responsible. I had nothing to do with it."

Danny frowned, as he thought about Tyler. He truly was the person responsible. The teen looked away from the smug half-ghost and clenched his hands into fists.

"Ah, so you saw it too," Plasmius said, a faint smile visible on his expression, as he floated into the boy's line of sight. Danny scowled at him but didn't answer. The older half-ghost saw his opportunity and he took it, "If I didn't know any better I'd say what happened was no accident."

The teenager's eyebrows shot up and his mouth gaped open. He hadn't thought of that, what if he did? What if Tyler hurt Jazz just to hurt him? But that didn't make any sense. And wait a minute, why was he listening to Vlad anyway? "What were you even doing there, Plasmius?" The boy spat, his green eyes shining brighter. "And why did you have Skulker scanning Blaze's ecto signature? And who is he anyway?!"

Plasmius looked a little taken by the boy's outburst, but he quickly recovered himself. "Blaze would be that lovely ghost from the park. You remember; the one who nearly took your head off with his powerful energy." Plasmius paused for a second and smirked evilly. "The one that your friend Tyler was so obviously working with."

Danny's glare increased, "He's not my friend," he replied harshly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you didn't answer my question."

"You know I'm a very curious man, Daniel," the older half-ghost said. "I've never seen that ghost before and I wanted to find out how powerful he is. A master player of chess, like me …," he placed his right hand on his chest while chuckling briefly, causing Danny to roll his eyes in response. Ignoring the teen's reaction, Plasmius continued, "…does well in learning his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, my boy."

Danny frowned thoughtfully. _He's implying something, but what? _The boy wanted to question him further, but he recognized that familiar glint in the man's eyes all too well and knew he wouldn't get any more information out of him. "Whatever Plasmius," Danny growled. "I don't care what you're doing here but I want you to leave. Now."

Vlad smiled, his fangs shimmering in the moonlight. "I might and I might not, Daniel. But keep in mind what I said. I'd keep a sharp eye on your potential adversary." With one last nefarious grin the half-ghost disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the boy alone once more.

Danny glared at the place the man had been before sighing loudly and phasing back into the hospital. He didn't want to listen to Plasmius, but what he'd said made sense. He was right. Danny was going to keep an eye on Tyler, and maybe a fist or two.

ML: -wipes bead of sweat- Man that was long. So sorry for the wait guys, hopefully it was worth it. Oh and a few things to announce here. If you look at the first chapter I've changed it to where it says Part 1. I'm planning on making the end of part one the next chapter, and then I'll move on to Part 2.

Also I changed a few things in the first couple chapters. Mostly punctuation and all that jazz, but if you wanna check it out you might find it interesting. Um well I hope you review and I hope you liked it.


	17. Meetings

ML: Well here we go the finale of Part 1.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But I own the Shadowhunters so eat it.

Chapter 17: Meetings

"… And then he just disappeared," Danny Fenton explained quietly to his best friends: Sam and Tucker. They were alone in Jazz's hospital room as Danny relayed the events of the night before. His parents had left about half an hour before to get a bit of breakfast and clean themselves up.

"So Vlad actually listened to you?" Tucker asked cautiously.

The half-ghost shrugged dejectedly, as he glanced at Jazz's sleeping form. "I don't know guys, he was acting all mysterious and he kept implying stuff about Tyler." His tired blue eyes hardened at the name and he clenched his fists.

Sam saw his change in mood and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Has he come to visit Jazz yet?" She and Tuck had arrived the moment visiting hours started at seven o'clock and hadn't seen hide nor hair of the other ghost teen. Sam was slightly worried that Danny might have done something to him, but she didn't want to voice her thoughts. Danny wasn't like that but a part of her still felt a little worried …

"No," Danny growled, his eyes flashing green momentarily. "And if he knows what's good for him he won't."

Tucker and Sam shared a glance before staring back at their friend. "Dude, don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Tuck said; wincing a bit at the incredulous stare his friend shot him.

"Are you kidding!?" Danny shouted, but lowered his voice as he spoke again, visibly shocked by his own outburst. "It's his fault Jazz is in the hospital. You think I should just turn my head and pretend like it never happened?"

"Well … no," Tucker admitted weakly.

"But you could at least talk to him," Sam took over, her voice sounding insistent. "I mean, he didn't do it on purpose right?"

Danny couldn't help but recall what Plasmius had told him only a few hours ago. What if Tyler had hurt Jazz on purpose? The boy didn't have any proof, but it just seemed odd that things happened the way they did. The young half-ghost shrugged, "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't."

"Are you saying it wasn't an accident?" Sam questioned.

Danny suddenly stood up and began to pace back and forth, his friends watching him anxiously. "I really don't know guys. It just happened so strangely. I mean, what are the chances that he accidentally shot Jazz with … whatever that stuff was?"

He turned to face Sam and Tucker, "And what if he was working with Blaze, huh? Maybe he was just trying to get close to Jazz to hurt me-"

"I think you're stretching now, man," Tucker interrupted.

Danny raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "If that's true then why hasn't he come to visit her yet?"

"Uh, maybe because you're here," The Goth girl interjected, placing her hands on her hips. "What exactly did you tell your parents?"

The ghost boy's anger seemed to deflate and he rubbed the back of neck self-consciously. "Well, uh, I kinda blamed the whole thing on Tyler." Sam glared at him and he hastily added, "What? It's true! I just said that he took Jazz to the park to skip school and they got attacked by a ghost."

The teenage girl shook her head, "Even if you think it's true you need to talk to him. Did you even ask for his side of the story?"

"No," the half-ghost answered feebly.

"Don't you think you should?" Sam demanded, executing her finest death glare with practiced ease.

"Um … yes," Danny mumbled, averting his eyes from the glaring Goth. He hated it when Sam did that.

Tucker looked up from his PDA long enough to roll his eyes. He knew his two best friends were crazy about each other, and sometimes it annoyed him that they wouldn't just admit it. "So the next time you see him don't kill him," The techno geek added with a grin. Sam nodded and looked at Danny expectantly.

The raven haired teen groaned and crossed his arms. "Fine, the next time I see Tyler I won't blast him on sight. Happy?"

"No, but it'll do for now," Sam offered a rare grin and Danny looked away, blushing.

"So, um, anyway as I was saying," Danny cleared his throat and sat back down. "Why do you think Skulker was scanning Blaze's ecto-signature? I know your signature tells how strong you are but why would Vlad care?"

Tucker's expression appeared blank and Sam looked thoughtful, "He might just have been curious," the girl answered. "I mean, he said himself that he was a curious guy, right? And you know from personal experience that he likes to know a lot about his potential foes or allies."

Danny nodded, frowning slightly. That did sound like something Vlad would do, but a part of him didn't believe that was the only reason. The half-ghost sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly, _the day I figure out Vlad's evil plots is the day my dad wears regular clothes instead of his jumpsuit._

"I don't know, gu-" Danny was interrupted when the EKG machine beside Jazz's bed beeped erratically for a second, the three teens looked over at Jazz to see her head fall to the side. A quiet moan escaped her lips and her eyes fluttered open.

Danny jumped to his feet and immediately kneeled at Jazz's side; he took her hand and whispered, "Jazz, it's me, Danny. I'm here."

"Danny?" Jazz rasped, blinking her bleary eyes slowly.

"Yeah, yeah Jazz," the boy said, grinning. It was so good to see his sister awake.

"W-where am I?" Jazz asked, her gaze drifting around the room. Sam and Tucker came up on the other side of the bed and waved, smiling also.

"The hospital," Danny answered quickly.

Jazz lifted a weak hand to her forehead, wincing at how sore she felt. She stared into her brother's eyes, "What happened? I don't remember anything." She trailed off, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Uh, well," the half-ghost stalled for time, looking over to his two friends. "You got hurt, but we brought you here and the doctor's say you'll be fine." He could tell that his sister was having trouble remembering exactly what happened, and he wasn't sure if he should fill her in. _It would only hurt her more if I told her the truth, _the boy decided, squeezing Jazz's hand. _I won't push her to remember anything, but she probably will eventually … _

"Oh," the red head murmured furrowing her brows. Suddenly the girl straightened up and she gasped, "What happened to Ty? Is he alright? Nothing happened to him, right?"

"Yeah, he's fine Jazz," Danny said, trying hard not to sound angry. "He hasn't been by yet but I'm sure he will soon," the dark haired teen grinded his teeth at having to defend Tyler. But he knew if he didn't he'd have even more explaining to do and he really didn't want to bother with that at the moment.

Jazz visibly relaxed at her brother's soothing words as she sank back down into her pillows. Just as she was about to ask another question the door to her room opened slowly and her parents walked inside. When they saw Jazz up and awake they grinned and rushed forward.

"Jazzypants," Jack hollered, thundering to his daughter's bedside. Maddie followed a tad bit slower, but she was beaming all the same.

Danny, Sam and Tucker backed away to the far corner of the room, giving the happy and relieved parents a moment alone. "I can't believe it," Tuck mumbled. "She doesn't remember a thing."

"What are you gonna tell her?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Danny whispered giving his family a worried glance. "I guess I'll just have to tell her the truth." He shrugged dejectedly, "that's all I can do, even if it's not what she wants to hear."

* * *

"I heard that he attacked him, right out in the open," a female voice explained excitedly, though there was a hint of venom in her voice.

"Yeah, well I heard that his power is lightning," this voice was definitely male; it sounded young with a slight Irish accent. Tyler could hear the voices whispering together, but he couldn't see anything. He felt himself lying on something soft, his head was supported by a comfortable pillow.

The teenager felt a thrill of fear rush through his veins as he struggled towards consciousness. He didn't know where he was and he felt incredibly weak, it took all of his energy just to force his eyelids open and when he finally did he had to close them again quickly. Ty groaned loudly and the female voice whispered, "Hey, I think he's waking up."

The boy gasped when someone came up behind him and lifted up his pounding head. He felt something cool touch his lips, followed by the woman's voice. "Here, drink this." Tyler tried to resist but the moment the liquid touched his lips he realized how thirsty he really was. He began to drink greedily; the smooth tangy liquid ran easily down his throat, creating a warming sensation throughout his body.

His eyes fluttered open, slowly taking in his surroundings. He was in a small room, one of the first things he noticed was the faint green glow coming from the ceiling above him. His gaze then traveled around the sparse furnishings, a couple of chairs and a small wardrobe, and finally coming to rest on the two occupants. The first person he saw was a thin young man with curly red hair; he appeared to be in his early thirties but he had a childish face with a wide goofy grin.

Ty stared uneasily into the man's creepy red eyes. "Hey kid, glad to see you're still alive," the man said, chuckling quietly.

"Ace, don't joke about that," the female voice chided and Ty craned his neck around to see her. She was also young, possibly mid-twenties, with long dark hair that fell to her shoulders. Her skin was stretched tight over thick cheekbones and the boy shuddered at the grotesque quirk of her lips.

She was not attractive at all and she had an evil air about her. But what was most frightening about the lady were her deep black eyes that sent shivers down the boy's spine. Both of the adults were dressed in similar outfits of wool pants and matching tops. The woman's clothing was black and the man's was brown.

"Ah, c'mon Night, I was just joking," Ace whined, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in.

"W-where am I?" Ty asked in a hoarse voice. He sat up weakly and pushed himself away from Night, there was something about the woman that creeped him out to no end.

Night stared at the boy; much like a hungry wolf would gaze at a helpless lamb, and answered, "You're in the Ghost Zone, of course."

The teenager looked at her with a confused expression, before his memories from the day before came back to him. He remembered the deal he had made with Blaze and the horrible pain he had received from him afterwards. Tyler opened up his right hand and stared into his palm at the star insignia still engraved in his flesh. _So it wasn't a dream, _he realized with a sigh. He had so been hoping that it hadn't been real.

"How long was I asleep?" the boy asked quietly, afraid to raise his voice. He didn't know anything about these people, for all he knew they could be serial killers. They certainly looked like killers to him.

"A couple of hours," Ace answered immediately, leaning forward to examine the boy with narrowed red eyes. Ty quickly averted his gaze and shifted uncomfortably; he was sure he wasn't much to look at, at the moment. He felt grimy and there was a deep soreness within his muscles. Simply, he felt like crap.

"I still can't believe you're him," the red eyed man whispered. "You're the new addition to our race," he looked over to Night. "How crazy is that? I've never seen a kid as one of us before!"

Ty looked at him sharply, "You're Shadowhunters?" he squeaked and flinched when the two adults nodded proudly. _I knew there was a reason I didn't trust them. If they're Shadowhunters, then they must be just like Blaze. _

"And you're Shade," Night said, narrowing her black eyes dangerously. "Master Blaze told us about you. He told us to take care of you when you woke up and now that you have I bet you have questions."

But Ty hadn't heard her; he had stopped listening after the words: Master Blaze. Was that really what the other Shadowhunters called him? The teen prayed he wasn't expected to do the same because he never would. The boy would never degrade himself like that, especially not to the ancient Shadowhunter who caused him so much pain and problems.

"Hey? Whoo-hoo, kid you in there?" Ace asked, waving his hand in front of Ty's face. The ghost teen blinked and scooted back a few inches, his eyes round with fear. He did not like this situation, to put it mildly. Wasn't it bad enough he had to deal with Blaze? Now he had more Shadowhunters surrounding him, and he was sure they were going to behave in the same manner as Blaze always did.

"How did I get here?" Tyler mumbled, rubbing his bandaged knuckles nervously.

"Master Blaze brought you," Ace said. "And he ordered us to answer any questions you might have."

"When can I go home?" The young boy asked, his voice quivering slightly. He really wanted to go home, this place was scary and he did not like it one bit.

Ace shrugged at Night and the woman answered, "Master Blaze didn't say, but when he comes to see you, you can ask him."

Tyler paled and he scooted away even further, "W-when will he be coming back?"

"I'd say right about now," the amused voice of Blaze spoke from the open doorway. Tyler stared at the man's imposing figure with wide eyes and he whimpered quietly as he stood up, leaning weakly against the far wall. Ace and Night both jumped to attention and immediately kneeled in front of the ancient Shadowhunter, bowing their heads in submission.

"Master Blaze," they both spoke at once.

The ghost teen stared at them, his mouth opened slightly. _They're like slaves, or brainwashed servants. I can't believe they're actually kneeling in front of him. _

Night looked back at the boy, glaring with dark eyes. "Why do you not bow? You must bow for Master Blaze." Ace was also glaring at him, as if he had done something wrong.

"Oh, don't worry about it Night," Blaze said, stepping around the kneeling woman to stand in front of Tyler. "Shade is not aware of our customs yet," he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Tyler refused to look the man in the face. "But he's a fast learner, aren't you Shade?" Blaze stared at the boy with a smug expression.

Ty nodded reluctantly and muttered, "Yes."

"Yes what?" Blaze prompted, grinning evilly. He knew the boy would never call him master, but it was fun to mess with him. And just like he had predicted Tyler yanked his head up and glared at Blaze with narrowed eyes. The ancient Shadowhunter couldn't help but chuckle at the teen's fiery attitude. He was glad to see that it was still there, his temper was a good asset to have; it only needed to be tamed. And he was just the man to do that.

"Yes sir," the boy muttered, feeling his cheeks burn red. He hated it when he had to call adults sir or ma'am. It was degrading and annoying. But it wasn't what the man wanted to hear and Ty knew that. So he took his response as a small victory.

"Hm," the orange eyed man tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that will do for now," he steered the boy out of the room, nodding to the still kneeling Shadowhunters. Once outside Ty blinked his eyes quickly to adjust them to the change of light and when he did he gasped at what he saw.

He was standing on a dirt road and, surrounding him on both sides, were houses as far as he could see. The buildings were each made of glowing green wood, and Ty realized that the one he had just been in only had one floor.

He glanced up and down the dirt street and saw more people, Shadowhunters he presumed, milling around and chatting with each other. It was odd how human they seemed; if not for their blue skin and glowing eyes they would definitely appear so. "What is this place?" the boy asked, staring in awe at the vastness of the city around him.

The ancient Shadowhunter grinned and waved his arm, "This is the realm of the Shadowhunters." Tyler scowled at the man's dramatic voice and looked around the city once more. It had an olden air about it, as if it belonged in the Middle Ages. The only thing that disputed that idea was the green sky of the Ghost Zone overhead.

"Come, boy, there is much to see," Blaze said and started walking up the dirt street. Ty stared after him not sure what to do. Movement at the doorway of the small one story house caught his attention and Tyler shivered when he saw Night and Ace glaring at him with glowing eyes. He swallowed nervously, _follow Blaze or stay here with my two new best friends … _the boy hurried after the ancient Shadowhunter.

As the two walked Ty noticed that every Shadowhunter they passed immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed. Each of them looked at Blaze with respect murmuring his name quietly, but when they saw the boy trailing after him, most glared daggers, while others stared right through him. The ghost teen could only keep his eyes on the ground and hurry after Blaze.

"As you can see there are many of our race here," Blaze explained, walking at a fast pace with his arms crossed behind his back. "In fact when most Shadowhunters die they come here, but some don't arrive. I'm not positive where they go but it really doesn't matter."

"Why did you bring me here?" Ty interrupted, as the two walked up a flight of stone steps leading to a large concrete building. It was huge, the top was shaped in the form of a huge dome. The humongous doors were made out of oak and held a beautiful golden handle each. The structure was positioned at the center of the city and Ty could look down on the rest of the buildings below. He felt Blaze stop beside him but the teen decided it would be best not to turn and face him. Every time he looked at the Shadowhunter he could feel an uncontrollable rage burning inside his chest.

"Because this is your home, Shade," Blaze explained, a sudden breeze playing with his dark hair. "Well, at least half of your home now," the man chuckled and looked at the boy from the corner of his eye.

Tyler stared at Blaze with wide eyes, "M-my home? What do you mean? I already have a home," he whispered, frightened.

"Oh calm down, child," The ancient Shadowhunter rolled his eyes. "You agreed to let me train you, correct?" The man didn't wait for a response. "To do that I expect to see you here at ten o'clock every night, that is when I will teach you the ways of our race."

The boy cocked his head to the side, "How do you expect me to get here? I don't even know where _here_ is!"

Blaze waved a hand calmly, "I will show you. All you need to know is that from this moment on during the day you are human, but at night you are Shade."

"You can't expect me to do that," Ty exploded, whirling around to face the Shadowhunter. "I can't just devote my entire night to training! I've got school and a life."

Blaze cut him off, "Had a life, Shade. Your old life, before you became a Shadowhunter no longer matters. You are Shade; Tyler Matthews is the mask you will wear around other humans. And you will train yourself in the ways of our kind."

"Are you kidding? I don't care what you want me to do! I'm still human, I'm not a full Shadowhunter. You can't expect me to give up my life for your stupid train-"

**Smack!**

Tyler stumbled to the ground, holding his aching jaw with his left hand. He felt tears well in his eyes but forced them away.

Blaze lowered his arm, his expression furious, and his eyes glowing menacingly. "I am giving you a privilege, boy," he said, an eerie calmness in his voice, although it was clear he was trying to control his anger. He reached down and pulled Ty to his feet by grasping his hair. "I am not forcing you to refer to me as master, but you will show me respect all the same." He tightened his grip on the boy's hair and Ty gasped in pain, his hands instinctively reaching up to pry Blaze's hand away.

"You will come to training and you will accept your new status sooner rather than later. Have I made myself clear, Shade?" The man snarled, forcing the teen's head to turn into a painful ninety degree angle, so he was staring up at his captor.

Tyler closed his eyes, as he tried to fight against the agony that was raging through his scalp. He took a deep breath before muttering, "Go to hell." In response, Blaze jerked the boy's hair, making him cry out in pain.

Blaze scowled and threw Ty to the ground, towering over him, his hands ignited in a fiery glow. He took a step towards the fallen teenager, but stopped a sly look coming across his face. Blaze absorbed the energy back into his hands, then a slight smile formed on his expression. Tyler looked up, wondering what the Shadowhunter was up to next, though he really didn't want to know.

"I think you deserve punishment for your outburst, Shade," he purred and the boy's eyes became round with fright. "Kneel," the man commanded, pointing at the ground in front of his feet.

Ty narrowed his eyes and stood up tiredly. He wouldn't do that; he was no one's servant. "I don't think so," Tyler growled weakly, his jaw throbbing. "I don't kneel for anyone; especially not for someone like you."

This was definitely something Blaze did not want to hear. The Shadowhunter snarled, his burning eyes a clear sign of his anger. "You will obey me Shade." He lowered his face towards the boy's and whispered darkly, "Or someone else will pay for your foolish pride."

Tyler gasped in horror. _He's talking about Jazz or mom; I know he is, _the teen thought fearfully. His face became pale and terror churned in his stomach. "No," he whispered. He looked up at Blaze in disbelief, "You can't hurt them, I already agreed to your deal! You have to leave them out of this," Tyler knew he sounded pathetic, but at this point he didn't care about that anymore.

The ancient Shadowhunter shook his head slowly, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I said nothing of the sort, Shade. If you refuse to obey me then your mother will not be the only one to suffer."

Tyler stared at the man in undisguised horror. "W-what," he rasped, fear spreading throughout his entire body.

"Dear mommy is not the only way to get to you," Blaze explained, narrowing his orange eyes. "Your little girlfriend, perhaps? Or her younger brother? Imagine how Jasmine would look at you if she knew you were responsible for any harm that might befall him."

_No, not Danny too, I can't put him in danger as well. Jazz would never forgive me. _Tyler closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. There really was no other choice, if he didn't listen to that madman everyone he ever cared about would be hurt. And he couldn't let that happen. If it meant sacrificing himself then so be it.

"I wonder," Blaze said thoughtfully, rubbing his thick beard slowly. "What would happen to you if your mother suddenly disappeared? You have no father, so where would you go? And if you left, I would be free to do whatever I pleased." The ancient Shadowhunter stalked around the trembling boy, enjoying his obvious discomfort and fear. "But do not fret, Shade, I would certainly pay a visit to Jasmine. We wouldn't want her to get lonely, now would we?"

"Okay, stop, stop!" Tyler interrupted him, forcing the horrible image of Blaze torturing Jazz out of his mind. "You win," he whispered, dropping his eyes to the ground. "Is that what you wanted to hear? You win … I-I give up." The words tasted sour in his mouth. They tasted like defeat.

Blaze's expression could only be described as pure smugness, as he stopped in front of the ghost teen. "I know that I won, Shade," he drawled, chuckling quietly. "I've known for quite a while, but I have been waiting for you to admit that yourself for some time. Thank you for not disappointing me."

The boy just stared at him, unable to form words. He wanted to scream and insult the man until his voice gave out, he wanted to swing and kick until he couldn't move anymore, but he couldn't. Not unless he wanted to endanger his loved ones. _For them, _he vowed sadly. _Only for my family, will I bow to a mad man. _

"Now that you know your place, I order you to bow before me." The ancient Shadowhunter said, drawing up to his full height, so he towered over the teenager.

Ty didn't want to, he really didn't want to, but his mind slowly forced his body to fall to a knee and lower his head, just as he had seen the other Shadowhunters do. A sob rose in his throat, but he swallowed it back down; crying would do nothing to help him now. Blaze reached down and patted Ty on the head as if congratulating a puppy.

"That's my boy," Blaze said, a horrible grin spreading across his face. The ghost teen didn't look up, but his quivering shoulders displayed how upset he truly was. _He is breaking, _the ancient Shadowhunter thought triumphantly, _it won't take long now._ "Now stand."

Tyler stood on shaking knees, his shoulders drooping. He was so angry, embarrassed and afraid; he didn't know what to feel. The teen refused to meet his "mentor's" eyes and instead focused on the ground, until a large hand grasped his chin and yanked it up. Blaze inspected the boy with a critical gaze, smiling smugly. The ancient Shadowhunter could see defeat in those brown orbs and it filled him with a sense of victory.

Ty was still trying to look away from Blaze, but the man forced him to stare into his evil orange eyes. The boy attempted to glare but failed miserably; only succeeding in making himself look more pathetic. "I hate you," the teen whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

Blaze's smirk disappeared, his expression actually becoming somber. "You won't for long," he said, frowning. "You won't for long."

* * *

_Two days, I can't believe I've been stuck here for two stinkin' days! _Jasmine Fenton mentally fumed, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was still in the hospital and her bandages had just been removed earlier that morning. She was extremely relieved to see the damage was only minimal, and that the scars were barely noticeable. Jazz knew she had been very lucky.

But that important fact did nothing to ease the anger and frustration growing in her body. The moment the bandages had revealed what happened to her, she immediately remembered everything that had transpired in the park. The girl couldn't help but feel a stab of anger and betrayal that Ty had been the person to hurt her but she knew that he had no control over his powers. Jazz realized that what happened was just an accident.

But she was frustrated that Ty had yet to visit her and she now knew Danny hadn't told her the truth when she first woke up. "Boys," she muttered crossly, glaring at the far wall. She glanced at the clock once more, mentally grumbling about how long it was taking her brother to arrive at the hospital. The nurses had forced Jazz's family out of her room about two hours ago in hopes of the girl resting a bit, but she had been unable to.

Then, just when Jazz felt like screaming in frustration, her younger brother walked through the door, his hair slightly ruffled. "Hey Jazz," he greeted, gasping a bit. "Sorry it took so long, Technus was messing around at the arcade and I-" he trailed off when he noticed the glare his sister was sending him.

"Why didn't you tell me what really happened at the park?" The red head demanded, narrowing her eyes.

Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his head for a second before answering, "Because I didn't want to upset you."

"Upset me? Why would you think that would upset me?" Jazz asked curiously, and her expression softened a bit.

The raven haired teen stared at Jazz as if she'd grown a second head. "Uh, why do you think?" He waved his arm at the machines beeping beside Jazz's bed. "Tyler hurt you, Jazz. He's the reason you're in that bed right now. I was going to tell you later when you were feeling better."

Jazz's confusion disappeared, only to be quickly replaced by anger. "You're blaming him for this? How can you say that? He's your friend!"

"Was, Jazz," Danny cut her off, his hand clenching into fists. "I saw him blast you and you don't even care?" Danny spread out his hands, his frustration and growing anger evident. "Jazz, he could have killed you. Do you realize that?"

"But he didn't," Jazz countered, the heart monitor at her side beeping faster. "It wasn't his fault, Danny. He can't control his powers and I know he didn't hurt me on purpose."

"How can you defend him?" the young half-ghost snarled. "Tyler hasn't even visited you once since he nearly killed you! He obviously doesn't feel that bad."

"You don't know him, Danny," Jazz said, her voice sounding emotional. "Something must be wrong if he hasn't come yet; he must be in trouble."

"So what if he is! It might just be a good thing." The young boy turned away his eyes shining a bright green. "I told mom and dad that he was responsible for what happened, you won't be seeing him for a while."

Jazz drew back as if she'd been struck, _no he wouldn't. Danny wouldn't, he knows how much I care about Ty. _"Why," the girl whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "Why would you do that?"

Danny glanced back at her, but didn't turn around, "To protect you, Jazz. Ty's a danger to himself and everyone around him. It's better for you to stay away from him, and mom and dad agree."

The girl shook her head slowly, salty tears streaming down her cheeks, "Get out," she growled weakly. "I don't want to see you. Go away."

The disappointed and betrayed sound in his sister's voice forced Danny to turn around. As he began to stare at Jazz, the ghost boy instantly felt horrible. He wanted Jazz to see the truth but he didn't want her to cry, he hated it when she cried. "Jazz I'm sorry but it's for the be-"

"Get out!" Jazz yelled, pointing towards the door with a furious expression.

The half-ghost slowly complied, and shuffled out into the hallway, closing the door as he went. He pressed his ear up against the door and frowned when he heard Jazz sobbing on the other side. He drew away from his sister's room. _I wish I hadn't been so mean, _the boy thought sadly. _If only I could make her understand, then she wouldn't feel so bad. _

The teen sighed and sat down on a chair in the lobby. Maybe … maybe he was the one who was wrong. If Jazz felt so strongly, maybe Danny was just letting his anger blind him from seeing the truth. He ran a hand through his hair; _if I see Tyler again … I might talk to him and get his side of the story. _

Danny nodded, but did so with a deep frown. He didn't like to admit that he might be wrong, but he would for Jazz, only for Jazz.

* * *

"Sorry hairball, but it's time for you to go," Danny Phantom shouted triumphantly, sucking the ghostly tiger into the Fenton thermos. The green furred cat roared angrily but disappeared into the cylinder in a beam of light.

After he capped the thermos Danny relaxed his tight muscles and reached over his shoulder, hissing loudly when his fingers brushed the bleeding wound too roughly. The stupid cat had really given him a run for his money, and it didn't help that the young half-ghost was still mulling over the fight he'd had with his sister only hours before. He sighed and floated down to land on the rooftop below. He leaned a hand on the brick ledge and stared out over his city.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he had let his anger get the best of him. He hated it when that happened; it made him feel too much like Plasmius.

The boy sighed again, but his sigh quickly turned into a puff of icy breath, _ghost sense, _the teen realized as his eyes scanned his surroundings. He shivered and pinpointed the location of the ghost. Danny spun around, his hands already beginning to glow green but his stance faltered when he came face to face with Shade.

The ghostly teen stood on the other side of the roof watching Danny with weary and tired eyes. Even from far away Danny could see the haggard expression on the boy's face and the exhausted way he stood.

Danny's anger had begun to boil at the sight of Shade, but after taking in the boy's demeanor, it dampened extremely. He couldn't feel rage at this defeated looking person. "T-Shade," Danny murmured, taking a step towards the ghost.

"Phantom," Shade nodded, his voice sounding cold and distant.

"What are you doing here?" Danny asked with a frown. He'd never heard Ty's voice sound like that before.

Shade shrugged uncaringly, his golden eyes narrowing. "Do I need a reason to fly around?"

"No," the white haired teen said slowly. He took a deep breath, Jazz's words from earlier sounding in his mind. He had to at least give Tyler a chance; maybe he did have a good explanation for what happened. "Listen, the last time we saw each other something bad happened to Fenton's sister, and I think we should talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about," Shade said offhandedly, but if Danny had listened closer he would have heard a hint of sadness and regret in the boy's voice. "She got hurt, and Fenton helped her in time," he paused for a moment, glaring at the young half-ghost before continuing. "But no thanks to you. End of story."

Danny blanched at Shade's uncaring tone, how could he just shrug off what he'd done? "You don't even care what you did to her?" the ghost boy snarled. "You almost killed her and you haven't even gone to say you're sorry? She loves you Ty and you couldn't care less!"

Shade's eyes widened and he took a step back, "How long have you known?" he asked in disbelief.

"A while," Danny answered solemnly, clenching his hands into fists. The two ghost teens stared each other down, both with glowing and angry eyes.

"You won't tell anyone," Shade growled.

"No, you're not worth it," Danny countered, fighting the urge to lash out.

Shade shrugged and turned away, _he's right. I'm not worth it, _the Shadowhunter thought sadly. He didn't want to do this but he knew he had to. He had to follow Blaze's orders. Shade took a deep breath and said, "The next time you see Jazz be sure to tell her she's not worth my concern either." He swallowed, "She never was."

Shade knew he should have been expecting the punch that landed directly in his face, but after the rigorous training he'd been put through the past few days he could barely stand, let alone dodge a fast attack. The golden haired teen stumbled backwards, a hand holding his throbbing cheek and a cry of pain escaping his lips.

Danny glared at Shade, his fist still raised in front of his chest, a dangerous expression on his face. "Get out of here, and don't ever try to see Jazz again." His voice was nothing short of a growl. Shade said nothing; he only turned around slowly a hand still holding his reddening cheek.

Shade glared at Danny angrily with his golden eyes glowing brightly. The half-ghost shivered at the intensity of Shade's stare, but then the boy turned and disappeared from sight. Danny waited until he felt Shade's ghostly presence leave completely before he sighed and took to the air, flying powerfully towards Fenton Work's. Now he knew for sure, Tyler was officially his enemy.

* * *

Shade let invisibility slide off him once he had flown at least two blocks away from the angry Phantom. The ghost teen flew higher into the air to land on the ledge of St. Joseph's Cathedral, one of the tallest structures in Amity Park. It was on the edge of the city, but just across the street was the city's fanciest hotel and surrounding it on all sides were smaller buildings. The boy ducked behind the stone gargoyle and leaned against the old brickwork.

This was the meeting place Blaze had told him about, it was where the portal to the Shadowhunter realm would appear at exactly ten o'clock.

Shade placed his forehead against the brick wall, breathing heavily. _It's better this way, _the boy tried to convince himself. _Phantom will tell Jazz, just like Blaze said, and she'll never want to see me again. It will be easier for her if she hates me. _

The young Shadowhunter couldn't stop the tears that formed in his glowing eyes. Blaze had ordered him to say those horrible things; he'd said that Shade would never see her again anyway so it didn't matter. The boy had no clue why but he had listened all the same. The only way to keep Jazz safe was to push her away.

"She's safer this way," Shade whimpered, sobbing quietly. Suddenly the boy felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head slowly expecting to see Blaze, but thankfully it wasn't. "You …" he whispered. The ghost teen smiled weakly, "Where have you been all this time?"

* * *

"I do so love it when things go my way," Vlad Masters grinned evilly. He stood in front of a large window in a luxurious hotel room; his position giving him a perfect view of St. Joseph's Cathedral. His smirk grew when he saw Tyler smile widely at his Plasmius doppelganger. The boy was so easily fooled it was almost pathetic.

Vlad swirled his glass of wine idly, an evil light dancing in his eyes. He knew that the child had joined the ghost named Blaze, and after a little investigation he had discovered the truth about him. Vlad knew all there was to know about the Shadowhunters. The man couldn't help but chuckle at Tyler's stupidity, handing his freedom over because of a mere case of puppy love.

_But it is a good thing he is so foolish, _Vlad corrected himself. _He may work for Blaze now, but he still holds loyalty to me. _He narrowed his blue eyes thoughtfully, _With a little twisting Tyler will be the perfect tool. An insignificant pawn in my game of chess, easily sacrificed for my goals. Once I leave this backwater city it will be with young Daniel at my side. _

The man chuckled quietly; his plan was so clear in his mind he could almost taste victory. Suddenly an icy chill ran down Vlad's spine and the half-ghost stiffened, his internal ghost sense warning him that he was no longer alone. He recognized the ecto-signature but couldn't place from where; all he knew was that the energy he felt belonged to a very powerful ghost.

"What are you doing in my room?" Vlad drawled calmly, without turning around.

"Greetings, Vlad Masters … or should I say Vlad Plasmius," Blaze answered, bowing his head slightly as the half-ghost turned to face him.

Vlad frowned at the Shadowhunter, "What do you want?" he demanded. He was unsure of why the ghost would visit him unless he was looking for a fight. He put down the glass of wine on a nearby table, not letting Blaze out of his sights for even one second. _If he wants one I'll be sure not to disappoint. _

Blaze shrugged nonchalantly, taking up his usual arrogant stance, "I have a proposition for you. A business deal of sorts."

"Go on," Vlad said slowly with a suspicious expression.

The blue skinned ghost smiled, "We are both obviously honorable men, Plasmius. I have lived for thousands of years and have yet to meet someone I find so much like myself. We have similar goals and I believe we see eye to eye on achieving them." The glow of the Shadowhunters eyes intensified, weakly illuminating the room in an orange, unsettling hue. "I propose a temporary alliance. You can give me something I want and in turn I can deliver to you something you want."

The half-ghost raised an eyebrow; he had not been expecting this, at least not without him making the first move. He quickly hid his surprise and smirked smugly, folding his hands behind his back in the same stance as Blaze. "What could you possibly give me that I don't already have?"

Blaze met the man's smirk with one of his own, "Danny Phantom."

Vlad arched an eyebrow, but he could not entirely hide that the ghost's proposal had piqued his interest. "And what would I have to give you in return?"

"Give me? Not a thing," Blaze shook his head slowly. "I want you to _create_ something for me, a device that will greatly improve the quality of life for my people. Something to give them a little excitement in their afterlives."

Vlad rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a devious plan already forming in his mind. "Suppose I agree," he said, smirking internally at the grin on the other man's face. "How would you achieve your half of the bargain?"

"I have my ways," Blaze countered, his gaze drifting outside, zeroing in on the golden haired Shadowhunter. "So, do we have an accord?" He stuck his hand out, much like he had done for Tyler but not with the same purpose.

Vlad stared at the Shadowhunter, _Hm, another pawn. This could work to my advantage. _He smiled, took three steps forward and grasped Blaze's hand. "Deal," he said.

Blaze shook his hand up and down, "Excellent, but there is a little matter concerning my pupil …"

ML: So congratulations readers! You have reached the end of part one, and it's not looking too good for our heroes is it? Well I don't think it is, but I can't read your minds people, that is of course, unless you review. -makes puppy dog eyes- Please, it took me forever to write this. Now part 2 shall come as soon as I can write it up, but I fear it might take a while. To all of those who do review you get a sneak peek of part 2, yes I'm bribing but I think it's totally worth it to at least write, 'Great job.' Thank you to all who read this story so far and who will continue to read in the future. And a big thanks to my betas: JH24 and ShadowFox123, who without you, I probably would've stopped writing a long time ago.


	18. Part Two

ML: Alright readers, welcome to part two of my little story. There's a small time lapse if you glance down, and other than that, nothing to say. Read on and enjoy.

Disclaimer: See all previous chapters before this.

Chapter 18 Part 2: Getting in the swing of things

_Nine Days since the events of Part 1._

"And that is how you find the circumference of the circle," Mrs. Falco stated, setting her chalk down and dusting her hands off. The middle aged teacher turned around to face her third period geometry class and smiled upon seeing that most of them were actually paying attention. _This has to be a new record, _she thought, her eyes sliding across each student with approval, until her gaze landed on the student snoring in the back.

Mrs. Falco sighed and walked slowly towards the sleeping teen, the rest of her class beginning to snicker in anticipation. The gray haired woman came to a halt in front of her blond haired student and cleared her throat. "Mr. Matthews." She waited a moment but the boy didn't even stir.

The teacher frowned and smacked her hand down on the hardwood desk, causing the boy to jolt awake his eyes open wide. The ghost teen stared at his teacher, breathing heavily. He mentally berated himself for the small spark of energy that danced around his hands from his shock.

Ty had learned over the past few days that his powers were in fact directly linked to his emotions. Shock, anger, fear, they were all things he needed to avoid feeling, unless he wanted someone to get seriously hurt. The teenager forced his jumpiness to fade away and he swallowed, staring at his teacher somewhat nervously. "Um … I was sleeping again, wasn't I?"

Mrs. Falco nodded, pursing her lips in annoyance. She examined her pupil; taking note of the deep black shadows underneath his bloodshot eyes. Concern flooded her expression when she saw a few bruises lining his jaw and some around his throat, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. It almost looked like he'd been … beaten. Was it possible that he was being abused? No, the woman shook her head. Matthews had always been a problem, it wouldn't surprise her a bit if he'd gotten into a brawl with someone or even joined a gang.

"Yes you were. Don't do it again," Mrs. Falco ordered; retreating back up to the front of the room as she began to explain the homework for the night.

Tyler slowly let his head fall back onto the desk as he fought against the darkness licking at the edges of his mind. He was so tired. The teen had never been the kind to stay up late and now that was all he did. Over the past few days he'd only been allowed a couple hours of sleep a night. He would come home from school and crash on the couch until nine thirty; then grab a bite to eat and leave for training. And he wouldn't get back to the human world until six in the morning the next day.

The sleep deprivation was not only hurting his body and mind, but it was taking a toll on his school career.

Not that he had ever really been a star student, but he had always maintained a steady C-average. But now … he would be lucky to pass the tenth grade. The boy felt himself drifting off to sleep and instantly jerked awake, blinking his tired eyes furiously.

_C'mon, c'mon Ty. Don't give in; I'm sure that's just what Blaze wants. _The boy snarled quietly and clenched his fists. The man had made it perfectly clear that he didn't care if Tyler failed out of school; he actually seemed amused by the idea. The ancient Shadowhunter never had to deal with one of his kind attending a school before and he found the entire thing an utter waste of time. It wouldn't surprise the boy one bit if Blaze was actually trying to make him fail.

Tyler had never worried about his grades, but he'd always had aspirations to at least pass high school. And now … things weren't going in that direction. He sighed and rubbed his reddening eyes, distantly realizing he was fighting an uphill battle against his exhaustion; a moment later the teenager had fallen back asleep, his head cushioned comfortably in his hands.

When Ty opened his eyes again he was no longer in Geometry class. In fact … he didn't know where he was at all. It looked like the bombed out shell of a city. He'd played enough video games to recognize an apocalypse when he saw one. Destroyed buildings surrounded him, some of them still burning, twisted metal girders reached up into the blood red sky like bony fingers. Small fires flickered around the teen and he shivered at the eerie silence, which was only broken by the distant calling of a crow.

"H-hello?" He called uncertainly, his voice echoing around him. No answer. He took a tiny step forward, glancing around nervously. "Where am I?" Ty muttered, walking through a puddle of grimy water and crumbling bricks. The teenager continued through the destroyed city, but he ran into no one. Not one living thing.

Just as the boy climbed over the remains of a burned out car he stopped, frozen in place. "No," he whispered, shaking his head slowly. "No, no, no! It can't be," he shouted, unable to process the damaged sign before him.

_Welcome to Amity Park: A nice place to live! _

Ty could not believe what he had just read. The words just wouldn't work in his mind. This … this shell of a city was his home? It couldn't be. It just couldn't. "Where is everyone?" he whispered shakily. Maybe they had all gotten away before whatever could have happened here.

"They're all gone," Blaze chuckled, suddenly appearing in front of the boy. He floated into the air and took a deep breath, his arms open, seemingly embracing the destruction. He smiled. "Beautiful isn't it? Do you smell the rot and decay? Just lovely."

"You did this," Tyler growled accusingly, his hands clenching into fists. "You destroyed the city! You killed everyone!"

"So quick to point the finger of blame, aren't we?" Blaze said, smirking. "Who said it was me?" The ancient Shadowhunter looked pointedly at Ty and the boy took a step back, shaking his head dully.

"N-no," he stammered. "I-I didn't, I wouldn't." His wide eyes looked back out over his town, unable to comprehend how it had been reduced to nothing but rubble.

Blaze's dark form seemed to grow larger and his orange eyes glowed brighter as he began to chuckle evilly. "You would and you did, Shade. Everything that happened was your fault. Every death was because of you." He flew closer to the boy, his dark aura incasing Ty, who began to hyperventilate as the darkness consumed him, turning his blood ice cold. "And you enjoyed it, you enjoyed every minute of it."

"No, no!" Ty yelled, fighting back against the black energy that had trapped him. Human screams of terror and agony began to assault his senses. The horrible stench of blood filled his nose and mouth, causing him to retch feebly.

"No," the boy moaned. "Stop … please stop … no!" Tyler's eyes shot open when he felt a sharp pain explode in the side of his head. He looked around in confusion. He was laying on the ground in his math class and everyone was staring at him, some laughing; some watching with sincere concern. He must have fallen out of his seat by accident.

"Mr. Matthews," Mrs. Falco shouted, standing over the teenager with a furious expression. "Didn't I tell you to stay awake?"

"Uh … um," Tyler mumbled quietly, he was shaken from the horrible nightmare. At this moment he couldn't even form a coherent sentence, the gut churning images still dancing before his eyes.

The geometry teacher sighed and muttered something under her breath. "Report to detention, Mr. Matthews. And please try to stay awake on your way there."

"But-" _it's not my fault. _He wanted to say it but what would be the point? She wouldn't believe him and would probably think he was making excuses. Ty slowly closed his mouth and hung his head, keeping his eyes averted from everyone he walked out of the classroom, his feet dragging heavily. He didn't notice the worried stare his teacher gave him as he closed the door. The ghost teen winced with each step he took as his muscles protested against their strain. Ty didn't know how he was even able to keep upright, but he did as he slowly limped to the detention room.

He sighed quietly; _I'm starting to really hate my life. _

* * *

Tucker and Sam watched warily as their half-ghost friend stared with narrowed eyes at his plate of food. The trio sat in the cafeteria and Sam and Tuck were both becoming concerned by their friend's very noticeable lack of conversation.

"So … um," Tuck started. "How's Jazz doing?"

Danny looked up at him briefly, before staring back at his uneaten tray. "She's good. Mom and Dad went to pick her up 'cause she was released this morning."

"That's good news," Sam offered. For once she didn't wince and reprimand Tucker for the crude way in which he ate his meat filled tray. She was too concerned with the way Danny was acting to care. He didn't seem to really talk to them anymore, most of the time he appeared to be lost in his thoughts. It was obvious her friend was angry and frustrated about what had happened the last few weeks, but that didn't mean he could treat his best friends like they didn't even exist. She and Tucker had given him some room the last few days, hoping Danny would get over it eventually, but now his behavior was only getting worse. And it was really starting to get on her nerves, and on Tucker's as well, although he seemed to be trying to hide it as well as he could.

Danny only grunted in response to Sam's statement and the girl frowned.

"When can she come back to school?" Tucker interjected, noticing his Goth friend's death glare.

"Couple of days," Danny mumbled before stuffing a bite of hamburger in his mouth. Though he wasn't showing it, he really was happy and relieved to know his sister was finally being released from that horrible hospital. Hopefully, things would return to normal once she started school again. _I seriously doubt that though, _the young half-ghost thought dejectedly. Ever since that fight about Tyler, Jazz had refused to even talk to him.

Danny clenched his fists and forced away the green glow burning in his eyes. If not for that moron Tyler, Danny's relationship with his sister wouldn't be falling apart at the seams. But what worried him most was the ghost situation in Amity Park.

For over four days Danny hadn't run into one ghost. Not a single one. Even the Box Ghost was missing in action. And it was beginning to worry him. Were the ghosts planning something big? Or was something bad about to happen, that Danny had no idea about.

The thought sent a chilling feeling down the boy's spine. His instincts had been warning him for some time that something was amiss, but he couldn't figure out what. Tucker suddenly stiffened and nudged Sam, tilting his head towards the entrance of the cafeteria. "Here comes trouble," he muttered, too quiet for Danny to hear.

Sam followed his gaze and she scowled at seeing Tyler shuffle into the room.

"Man, he looks like he went ten rounds with Plasmius," Tucker added, still keeping his voice low. He didn't really want to see his best friend's anger again. Every time those two were in the same room, you could just feel the animosity festering between them. As if the two ghost boys were going to break out into the alter ego selves and beat the tar out of each other.

Sam nodded in agreement, feeling a tiny bit of sympathy tug at her heart. He just looked so … pathetic. She watched the ghost teen stumble and barely catch himself on the wall, before continuing on as if in a daze. The girl looked closer and could just make out the deep black bruises decorating his pale face. No doubt there were more underneath his baggy jeans and sweatshirt. What was happening to him? She shook the thought from her mind and looked away; he did deserve it, didn't he?

After what Tyler had done to Jazz, it only seemed fair that he was being punished. _Am I just trying to convince myself? _Sam thought in confusion. She looked up when she felt Danny's eyes on her. "Did you say something?" the girl asked quietly.

"Yeah, what are you staring at?" The half-ghost said, raising an eyebrow. Sam swallowed nervously, Danny's back was facing Tyler so he hadn't seen his new nemesis enter, and she would like to keep it that way.

"Nothing, just zoned out for a second," She said quickly, before stuffing a lettuce leaf in her mouth.

"Really," Danny said skeptically, turning around in his seat. The ghost boy stiffened when his eyes landed on Tyler and he snarled quietly, clenching his hands into fists. His intense stare caused Tyler to look up from his lunch tray and he stopped in the middle of the room, seemingly frozen to the spot. Danny growled lowly in his throat, resisting the powerful urge to go ghost and attack the boy who had hurt his sister so badly. Tyler still didn't know that Fenton and Phantom were one in the same, and Danny wanted to keep that secret for as long as he could, so he pushed the notion from his mind.

Tyler finally managed to break away from Danny's angry glare and he quickly retreated to a table far away from the half-ghost, and sat down beside Valerie, who eyed him worriedly as she noticed his tiredness. "Dude, your eyes," Tucker reminded his friend, tapping him on the shoulder.

Danny pulled his eyes back to his friends and forced them to return to their natural blue color. "What?" He demanded, noticing their incredulous stares.

"You really need to learn to control your anger," Sam told him seriously. She quickly added, before Danny could interrupt, "I know he hurt Jazz, but you need to let it go. He doesn't know you're Phantom, remember? Unless you want him to figure that out you need to try to avoid him as much as you can."

"It's not that easy, Sam." Danny growled, stabbing a fork into his food angrily. "Every time I see him, all I can think about is Jazz. You know she hasn't even talked to me since the fight?" He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I hope that she gets over Tyler, but I'm not sure if she will."

Sam and Tucker shared a concerned glance, finally understanding why their friend was acting so strangely. "I bet she will," Tucker said, hopelessly optimistic. "Once she gets back into school she'll be focusing on work. You know how much of a perfectionist she is."

"Yeah, I guess," Danny mumbled, taking a sip from his milk. He sighed when his gaze slid to Tyler again, his eyes filling with anger. The half-ghost stood up abruptly and grabbed his tray; he needed to get outta here. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you guys in class."

Sam and Tucker watched him leave, but said nothing to stop him. "He's really upset," Tucker whispered.

"Yeah," Sam sighed, eyes sliding back to her food, though she didn't have much of an appetite anymore. _I hope he doesn't do anything stupid. _

* * *

The orange eyed man sighed quietly, watching his new partner set down a large metal table, followed by a toolbox. Plasmius and his bird lackeys had been moving equipment all day long and Blaze was becoming very bored. He glanced lazily around at the warehouse that was quickly beginning to appear more as a high tech lab than an abandoned fish storage building.

Blaze watched one of the ghost birds float passed him with a set of beakers in his claws and resisted the urge to shoot an ecto-blast at it. _It would be entertaining but no. _He sighed again and stared at the ceiling, tracing the patterns of broken tiles with his eyes. A small smirk edged its way across the man's face when his thoughts began to drift towards his most recent victory. No matter what he did he couldn't help but think about it and it brought a smile to his face every time. Success often tended to do that to him.

The only thing that bothered him was how long it had taken to break Shade. But, that didn't really matter anymore. The boy had given himself to Blaze, and the man had no intentions of ever letting him go again. He had worked far too hard to lose his most valuable prize.

But, the boy was resilient; Blaze had to give him that. Even now, when he was at his weakest, he still tried to fight back in his own way. He could tell by the teen's actions and the way he often talked back and glared at him. It was a character trait Blaze was proud of in his student. The man smirked at the warm feeling he got from the word. Student, his willing student, it felt good to say those words. So maybe, Shade wasn't that willing, but little technicalities had never stopped the ancient Shadowhunter before.

_But no matter, it won't be long now until the boy is willing. _He chuckled darkly, creating a spark of orange fire in his hand. He watched it idly, a satisfied smile forming on his face. His power always amused him. Fire was definitely a useful element to control. It had the power to destroy, but also to create. As a Phoenix which rises from the ashes, new and greater things can be born from destruction. Fire consumes and devours the weak, and by doing so it creates a future for the strong. A future for those who are worthy, a future for those who deserve it.

Blaze watched the dancing flames as he forced the energy to form into a fiery star with a circle around it. The small flaming design floated above his hand and the man smirked at what it represented: The Mark of the Shadowhunter.

The same Mark that was engraved into every Shadowhunter, except for Blaze himself. Though the man had said so, the Mark wasn't just to control their powers. No, it was much more than that. Not even the strongest man could resist the Marks influence. So what chance did a teenage boy have?

The insignia had already activated itself a few days back and managed to successfully infiltrate Shade's mind. Without the boy knowing, or even realizing it, his thoughts were slowly being altered to match the ideology and the way of the Shadowhunters.

That was what the Mark was created to do. It altered the person's perspective, until they felt everything Blaze wanted them to. If he wanted them to steal, they would steal. If he wanted them to refer to him as Master, they would. That was why all of the Shadowhunters presently in the Ghost Zone were so loyal; they really had no choice but to be. The best thing was the wearers of the insignia all believe that they are following the ancient Shadowhunter and his ways out of their own free will. That they choose freely to do so, while in reality it was the Mark that simply forced them to do so.

Blaze chuckled quietly, extinguishing the flame. _And soon you will follow as well, Shade. It's only a matter of time. You and all of your powers will be under my command. _

But even these satisfying thoughts couldn't keep Blaze occupied and he glanced at the half-ghost across the room, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. Plasmius was an odd one at times. Blaze could tell the man was very powerful. The energy he displayed at times was truly mystifying, especially coming from someone who was still half alive. And he was cunning. Maybe one of the brightest minds Blaze had seen in a millennia.

_He is very dangerous, of that I am positive. I definitely need to keep my eye on him. He is after all, still human. _Blaze scowled, his eyebrows drawing together. He despised humans. They were deceptive, backstabbing and murderous. They were nothing more than lowly parasites. And the fact that he was working with one, nearly made him grimace in disgust. But he needed to. It was the only way to obtain the device he so desired, and when the time finally arrived, he would truly enjoy getting rid of the smug half-ghost, once and for all.

The Shadowhunter couldn't help but remember the warning he had given the half-ghost the night they had agreed to work together.

_Blaze released Vlad's hand, and his face became serious. "Now," The Shadowhunter began, glancing out the window to where, he knew, Shade was standing on top of the Cathedral. "There is a little matter concerning my pupil." _

_The half-ghost followed Blaze's eyes and he nodded, "Yes?" _

_His voice was neutral, but Blaze could detect a hint of possessiveness in his tone, and it made him to scowl. The ancient Shadowhunter stepped closer to Vlad, knowing he was now invading the man's personal space, and knowing it would help to get his point across. "I do not know what your interest is in him, but I will warn you now," Blaze let his eyes glow brighter and his expression darken. "He is mine. I will help you to acquire Danny Phantom, but until that time you will stay away from him. Do you understand?" _

_If Blaze had been looking closer, he would have seen pure unbridled rage flash in Vlad's eyes as the man desperately forced his face to stay impassive. The half-ghost could not believe this … this ingrate was speaking to him in such a tone. Who did this pathetic excuse for a ghost think he was? But, somehow, Vlad managed to control his fury and he smiled tightly, nodding his head. "Yes, I understand. He is yours and I won't interfere."_

_The Shadowhunter nodded firmly, and took a step back, believing his goal was achieved. He did not want Plasmius anywhere near Shade. It would fill the boy with a false sense of hope, and that was something Blaze could not allow. He needed to crush the boy's resistance, and if Shade thought that someone was going to help him, that would not happen. Blaze smiled then and lightheartedly said, "Now that is out of the way, perhaps we should discuss how you are going to achieve your end of the bargain." _

Blaze frowned and crossed his arms over his broad chest. _That was when my problems with Plasmius began. I saw then, that the man is very resourceful and crafty. I have to be careful from now on. I know I can not trust him. And I have a feeling he feels the same way about me. _

"Plasmius," The ancient Shadowhunter suddenly called and the half-ghost looked up from the box he was digging through.

Vlad frowned at the interruption but answered, "Yes, what is it?"

Blaze examined his fingernails thoughtfully for several moments, knowing it would annoy Plasmius having to wait, and enjoying the half-ghost's obvious lack of patience. Finally, after at least a full ten seconds of Plasmius grinding his teeth in frustration Blaze spoke. "I have been wondering, why do you want Danny Phantom, anyway?" The Shadowhunter pretended that he was still looking at his nails, but in reality he observed the half-ghost carefully, trying to see if he could evoke a reaction. "He has no relations to you, other than being a halfa, so why do you want him so badly?"

Plasmius stayed silent for a moment, placing a set of goggles on a hook beside a silver examination table. "If you must know, I want him to join me," the half-ghost said quietly, not even glancing at the Shadowhunter. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the variety of equipment sitting on the table.

"That's not exactly what I asked," Blaze muttered too low for Plasmius to hear, as he perked up from his position lounging against the wall. "Why do you want him to join you?" The Shadowhunter probed, he had become genuinely interested, but that was not the only reason why he asked. Any kind of information that he could extract could prove useful in the near future.

Vlad rolled his eyes and turned to face the Shadowhunter. "I can ask you the same thing. Why did you want Tyler to join you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

Blaze smiled, amused at the question, because Shade had already joined him. "He's one of my kind, and he possesses great potential, more so than I've ever encountered in a Shadowhunter before. Among my people, his powers would be considered that of a genius." Blaze talked in an indifferent tone, as if he was not interested in the subject at all. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The last thing he wanted to do was show Plasmius how he truly felt about his apprentice.

He continued, "The only thing Shade needs, is a push in the right direction, a proper motivation so he'll be able to access his dormant powers." The man grinned, "And I will be the one to provide said motivation. I know exactly what the boy needs."

Plasmius chuckled. "Well, it seems we have a lot in common in that area then. The story is the same regarding Daniel. The boy also has incredible amounts of potential, but he has refused every offer I made him to join me. He needs someone who will be able to guide him, to help him unlock his full potential. Daniel needs me, but every attempt I've made to show him that has failed. He just doesn't understand, at least not yet." Plasmius turned around and pushed several buttons on a device, no bigger than a remote, which immediately activated itself with a series of bleeps and two flashing red lights.

"I decided to stop playing nice," the older half-ghost continued, not averting his eyes from his work. "If he won't willingly join me, I'll just have to force him. Eventually he'll realize that everything I did was all for his own good, and then he'll see things my way." Plasmius gave Blaze an intense stare. "And that's where you come in."

The Shadowhunter growled when he heard Plasmius' words. _How dare he refer to me as nothing more than the hired help! Insolent human. _He quickly managed to suppress his anger, knowing Plasmius was vital for his plans. For the time being he would just have to tolerate the foolish half-ghost's presence, but when he would achieve his goal … _Just wait, I have something special in store for you, my friend. _

Blaze calmly stepped forward, and dropped his head, leaning his upper body forward slightly, as a display of respect for his kind. "Yes, of course," he began solemnly. "I assure you that I will not fail to deliver the boy to you. Having been in your position, I understand now how much we actually have in common."

"Oh really?" Plasmius said warily, his tone making it quite obvious that he felt suspicious about the Shadowhunter's change in attitude.

Blaze forced a grin. "I really do. I'll give you what you desire, as long as you uphold your end of our agreement."

Plasmius folded his hands over his chest, and slightly tilted his head to the side, baring his fangs as he smiled evilly. "Don't worry, I'll finish the portal generator soon. Once you provide me with the necessary items I need for its construction, of course."

"That will not be a problem," Blaze waved him off. The two males stared each other down, although both were trying to be nice, it was clear that they were only keeping up a façade. The Shadowhunter knew this, and he was very sure Plasmius did as well. _Perhaps I should leave now, before I give away my true intentions. The longer I stay around him, the more I despise him. He may be a halfa, but he's still a worthless, pathetic human._

"Unfortunately, I must leave you now," the Shadowhunter stated, walking away from the half-ghost. "I have my student to train, after all." Blaze smirked at hearing his temporary partner snarl quietly under his breath, before taking to the air. He knew that was a low blow, but the human deserved it for acting so superior.

Blaze shook his head slowly; _I don't believe this partnership will last very long. _

As the Shadowhunter disappeared through the roof of the building, Plasmius' scowl changed into a grin and he chuckled darkly. He picked up a pair of pliers from the toolbox on the ground and placed it on the metal table. "Fool." He murmured.

ML: -laughing hysterically- I had way too much fun with this chapter. Did anyone else find it amusing how much Vlad and Blaze hate each other? 'Cause I sure did. So, I hope you all are good and confused now. What are the two villains planning? -shrugs innocently- I wouldn't know … okay, I do, but I'm not sayin'. Blame my evil side, oh and him. -points at ShadowFox123- He's a bad influence. And yet, I still like him. Go figure.


	19. Fatigue

Disclaimer: Don't own DP, sorry.

Chapter 19: Fatigue

The boy gasped for breath, his chest jumping up and down in painful heaves. His golden eyes staring straight ahead saw nothing as sweat poured down his sharply angled face, matting his bright blond hair together into spiky clumps. Shade was barely holding himself up on trembling legs, his hands placed heavily on his knees, as he bent forward to catch his breath. Every part of his body ached, his head pounded with each beat of his heart, and his vision blurred in and out of focus every few seconds.

His muscles felt like they had been stretched to their furthest lengths and then suddenly snapped back into place like a rubber band. _How am I even still conscious? _he thought tiredly, somehow managing to keep his legs locked in an upright position, although it felt like they would give out at any moment.

"This is pathetic, Shade," a harsh voice said, sounding as cold as ice and as sharp as a knife. The ghost teen lifted up his weary eyes to see Blaze standing in front of him, arms held behind his back looking visibly relaxed. "You haven't even managed to touch me."

Shade glared at hearing the man's smug tone, too exhausted to say anything back. They had been at this fighting each other for at least two hours and the teen hadn't even hit Blaze once. Not that it was his fault. Blaze was much too fast for the younger Shadowhunter. The moment Shade went to swing a punch at the man he would just disappear, and then reappear behind him to hit the boy painfully in the back, sending him crashing to the ground. It hurt … a lot. And every time Shade was forced to get back up, it stung even more.

His body was far past its breaking point. But, because he was still in his Shadow form he didn't feel the full extent of his exhaustion, yet. He knew all too well that the moment he returned to his human body, the real torture would begin. If his Shadow form already hurt this much, he didn't even want to imagine how bad it would be as a human. The boy felt grateful that at least the training ground was pretty soft, absorbing most of the impact whenever Blaze would slam him into it.

The training area consisted of a small grassy clearing on the outskirts of the Shadowhunter city, surrounded by odd glowing trees. It seemed that almost everything glowed in the Ghost Zone, from the people to the sky. It was really getting annoying.

"Come on, boy," Blaze said, his voice sounding calm and slightly bored. "We don't have all night, I'm afraid."

_Screw you, _Shade thought heatedly, keeping his eyes on the ground beneath his feet. He kept his mouth shut and scowled; there was no way he was going to keep fighting. It was getting him nowhere, and he wasn't getting any better at it. _I don't care what Blaze does to me, I'm not gonna entertain him anymore. I'm too tired. _

"Oh, you're not going to speak to me, is that it?" Shade felt Blaze coming closer and he slowly pushed his body upright to glare defiantly at the man, though his legs shook dangerously underneath him. "And I suppose you don't want to continue training either," Blaze went on, his tone still sounding calm, but he no longer seemed bored.

Shade jutted his chin out, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "You can't make me," the ghost teen growled bravely. He knew it was true. The man couldn't force him to fight, and Shade was too exhausted to continue anyway. He wouldn't last very long if he tried. And to make things worse, he knew that Blaze was enjoying humiliating him. Shade could see it clearly on the man's face, and it filled the young teen with rage. How could Blaze be so cruel? Didn't he know how much pain he was putting him through? Or did he just not care?

The ancient Shadowhunter smiled darkly at the boy. "Is that so?" he purred in amusement, leaning down so his face was level with Shade's. "I beg to differ."

Shade stared uneasily into Blaze's orange eyes as they glinted with evilness. No matter how brave the boy was trying to act, he couldn't help but swallow nervously. _I've seen that look before, _he thought, taking an uneasy step back. Blaze had that same expression when he forced Shade to bow before him. A bit of fear appeared in the teen's eyes, _what if he threatens mom again? If he does … I'll have no choice. _

Blaze smirked and stood back up to his full height as his student lowered his eyes to the ground. "Yes, you have nothing to say to that do you, my boy?" Shade's lanky frame trembled with emotion and he refused to meet the ancient Shadowhunter's gaze. "You know whose lives I hold in the palms of my hands. Do I need to remind you or shall we continue with training?"

Bitter defeat wove its way through the ghost teen and his shoulders slumped even more than they already had. _Why can't he go one day without mentioning that? Is it just to hurt me? _His eyes drifted up to Blaze's smug expression before he looked away and he sighed, _I guess so. _

"Well, Shade, are we going to continue with training or not?"

Shade could practically hear the smile in the man's voice, but he did not look up. "Yes," the boy whispered sadly, his bottom lip trembled for a moment before he clenched his jaw tightly. _You gotta be strong. Don't let him see how much this is hurting you. At least don't give him that. _

"Look at me," Blaze ordered and Shade unwillingly lifted his head to stare into the man's face, his expression torn between rage and sadness. "Yes, what?" the ancient Shadowhunter asked, satisfaction washing through him. It always made him feel good to see the boy's resolve crumble in front of his eyes.

"Yes … _sir_. I want to continue training," Shade mumbled. The words made him feel weak; they made him feel as if he had given up. But, he supposed in a way, he had._ What's the point of fighting back anymore? Blaze will always have something to hold over my head. Maybe I should just give up and accept it. _The boy didn't know what he should feel; angry that Blaze was forcing him past his physical limits, or sad that he no longer had the ability to make choices in his own life, or perhaps both.

"Good, good," Blaze said, nodding approvingly, as he took a step back. "Now, let us continue. Attack me, Shade." The man's voice sounded aggressive but his stance was still casual, as if he didn't expect to have to move any time soon. Shade glared up at him, his face set in a deep scowl, but he did not move. "Perhaps you can manage to hit me this time," Blaze added in smug superiority, obviously trying to provoke a reaction from his young student.

The man's goading appeared to have worked, because electricity began to spark around Shade's clenched fists, creating quiet popping sounds in the silent night air. The boy may have been exhausted beyond belief, he may have felt like he was going to pass out at any moment, but he was angry and he still had some energy left. Though he didn't know it, Shade had bared his teeth in a feral snarl, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat. His anger was giving him strength, coating his vision in a sea of red.

Blaze had pushed him too far and now he was going to pay. Shade was sick and tired of the man. No matter how long it would take him, no matter how much pain he had to suffer, no matter the consequences, he would hit Blaze tonight, directly in his arrogant face.

All of the boy's boxing knowledge came back to him in that moment and he turned his body slightly to the left, spreading his legs shoulder length apart and balancing lightly on the balls of his feet. He raised his arms up to protect his chin, zeroing his eyes in on his opponent. Shade knew his boxing instructor would be proud, and he felt a small spark of satisfaction at his perfect stance.

With a cry of rage, the ghost teen swung a powerful roundhouse punch at Blaze's head, shifting his weight to his left foot, but his fist connected with nothing but air. Blaze was no longer there, and now the boy was overbalanced. Shade tried to correct his footing, but something pushed him hard from the side and he stumbled back. Shade kept himself from falling by steadying his upper body against a tree and he whirled around, punching with a quick jab at, where he hoped his mentor was standing.

He clenched his jaw when his fist actually connected with Blaze's chin, and pain shot through his hand and knuckles. Biting back the stinging in his hand, Shade pulled his fist back to keep his chin protected and attacked Blaze again with a swift combination.

Left jab, right jab, left roundhouse, right roundhouse, uppercut, uppercut; Shade fell into the steady rhythm that he knew so well. His breathing resounded loudly in his ears but he continued his assault, each hit landing harder than the one before it. Shade could hear Blaze grunt with each blow and it only urged him to attack faster and harder, not knowing or caring if he was actually landing his attacks or if they were just being blocked.

The young Shadowhunter felt the muscles in his arms begin to burn worse and worse, but he couldn't stop. No matter how tired he was, no matter how much he wanted to, he had to keep going. After a particularly strong strike to Blaze's gut, which forced the man to curl in on himself, Shade lost his momentum.

The burning feeling in his shoulders caused the ghost teen to drop his arms slightly, leaving his chin and midsection dangerously exposed. And that was all Blaze needed. The ancient Shadowhunter straightened up and placed a well aimed palm strike into the boy's chest.

Shade gasped in pain and stumbled backwards from the force of the blow, pin wheeling his arms to keep himself from falling. But Blaze struck Shade's legs with his right foot, sending the boy tumbling to the ground. The ghost teen landed hard on his back, the impact forcing the breath out of him.

"Oh, the poor boy fell down." Blaze said in a false sympathetic tone, shaking his head sadly. "Did that hurt, little Shadowhunter?"

Shade growled angrily and leapt back to his feet, pure hatred burning in his eyes. Ignoring the weakness in his entire body, he swung at Blaze once more. But, a strong hand grabbed his right wrist mid-swing and wrenched it painfully behind his back.

"Tsk, tsk, Shade," Blaze murmured, pulling the boy's arm higher up his back, causing the teen to yelp in pain. "Letting your anger get the best of you is not a wise thing."

The ghost teen glared through the tears stinging his eyes. _No, no I'm not gonna let him beat me again. I'm not going to let him! _With an animalistic cry, Shade went intangible long enough to pull his arm free from Blaze's grasp. The boy spun around, throwing his hands up, palms facing the ancient Shadowhunter. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have stopped the energy crackling in his hands before it left his body. Shade barely knew how to control his powers, and he feared using this one the most. But, at this point, he was far past logical thought. It was either beat his opponent, or be beaten himself.

Before Blaze could make a move, Shade fired a strong blast of lighting from his hands into the man's chest, catapulting him backwards and slamming him into a large tree.

Blaze grunted upon impact, he fell to the ground but quickly managed to lift himself up a bit, leaning on his right knee. He looked up, a hand gently holding the side of his head, at his student who was shaking from the furious emotions raging through him. The ancient Shadowhunter's expression quickly changed from shocked to pleased, and he stood up, a grin adorning his features.

"That's my boy," Blaze said, cracking his neck to the side, and brushing off the burnt pieces of his cloth tunic. He inspected the smoke rising from his chest casually, before waving his hand through the air to dispel of the little wisps.

Shade's eyes were glowing intensely. The bright, golden aura even illuminating parts of his face. His shaking shoulders and flared nostrils displayed how upset he truly was. Blaze chuckled with delight. _Yes. He is letting the Shadowhunter inside him take control. This is good, very good indeed. _

"I'm. Not. Your. Boy." Shade snarled, firing a burst of crackling energy from his hands with each word.

To evade the attacks, Blaze simply phased through the ground and came up behind the younger Shadowhunter. The fight had gone on long enough. It was time to end it.

Shade choked when a muscular forearm wrapped around his throat, cutting off his oxygen. He was lifted from the ground, his feet dangling at least five inches above the grassy clearing. The anger drained from the boy as his body began to cry out for air, he kicked his legs feebly, tugging desperately at the arm that was strangling him with ease. Shade began to panic when he couldn't escape, nor use his powers.

He was trapped.

"L-et … go! C-can't brea-" Shade couldn't even gasp out his desperate words. His vision was darkening as his lungs constricted. _I didn't even know I needed to breathe in this form, _he thought fuzzily, his struggles to escape weakening severely.

Just when the boy thought he was going to pass out, the pressure around his neck disappeared and he fell heavily onto his hands and knees, coughing violently. Shade looked up blearily through watery eyes and saw Blaze standing above him, his smiling widening.

The man lowered himself to a knee, so his head was level with the boy's. "I believe this training session is over." Blaze said, placing a hand gently on Shade's shoulder. "You did very well this time."

Shade wanted to reply with the worst swear word he knew, but his lungs just couldn't take in enough oxygen to allow him to talk and breathe at the same time. He settled for glaring tiredly, still gasping for each breath, holding his stinging throat with one hand. The moment the anger left him, so had his strength. His earlier exhaustion hit him like a physical blow, reducing his limbs to nothing but useless jelly. He had nothing left to fight with … he had lost.

_Why am I surprised? Blaze beat me with one move, _Shade looked away from Blaze's eyes, his coughs subsiding. _And I thought I had him. _But who was he kidding? He was no closer to defeating Blaze in a fight than he was apologizing to Jazz. The boy stared sadly at the ground, feeling completely drained and more tired than ever before.

There was no way he was going to school the next day, _but at least it's Friday. I'll only miss one day._ If he felt as bad as he did now, he knew that he wasn't even going to be able to move tomorrow.

"Did the power feel good, Shade?" Blaze asked suddenly, drawing the teen's attention. "Did you enjoy feeling the energy rushing through your veins? Spreading and filling every part of your body with its wonderful strength?"

Almost against his will, the festering anger left Shade's mind as a tingling sensation began in the center of his palm, the same hand that held the star shaped insignia, before radiating out through his entire system. The ghost teen stared at Blaze and for once, he wasn't filled with rage at the sight of the man. He actually felt a sort of … kinship making its way through his body. Instead of seeing an evil Shadowhunter enjoying the pain of others, he saw his kind mentor who only wanted to help him grow and become stronger.

"Yes," Shade said, his tense muscles relaxing. He suddenly felt the extreme urge to please Blaze. "Thank you."

Blaze raised an eyebrow with a curious expression, before understanding hit him. The Shadowhunter chuckled, knowing exactly what was going on within his young pupil's mind. He could see it in the boy's glazed golden eyes: that look of admiration that all other Shadowhunter's possessed for him. He knew that at that moment, Shade would do anything he asked, even if it meant he had to kill someone. The Mark had taken control.

"You are very welcome, young Shadowhunter," he said and patted the boy on the head. Shade leaned into his touch as if he needed it to live and Blaze smirked. Yes, the boy had no idea what he was doing. His mind was so foggy from exhaustion and teenage emotions that the Mark had finally managed to invade his body and personality. It had regained full control. Yet Blaze knew that each time the insignia succeeded in breaking through, its hold would only grow stronger. It was only a matter of time before Shade was as loyal as every other Shadowhunter.

It was almost comical how closely the look on Shade's face reminded Blaze of a puppy who wants nothing more than to please its master. But, he could also see how close Shade was to losing consciousness, and no matter how amused he felt at the moment, he knew he should let the boy rest. The teenager was fighting though, as if waiting for Blaze to order him to go to sleep.

"I think it's time for you to take a little nap," the man said, a small smile on his face. "Would you like that?"

Shade nodded, visibly eager to agree with anything that Blaze said to him. "Yes sir."

Blaze laughed again, "Then sleep, my boy. You worked very hard tonight." Before he could even finish his sentence, Shade was out like a light, limply falling into Blaze's chest. The man caught him and lifted the boy easily into his arms, chuckling quietly. Shade wouldn't remember their conversation when he woke up, but he would be sore. Blaze had made sure of that. The boy would learn obedience, even if the ancient Shadowhunter had to beat it into him every training session.

The dark haired man took a deep breath before creating a portal to the human world with a wave of his right hand. A loud ripping sound spread throughout the silent clearing before a green swirling portal formed into existence.

Blaze couldn't keep the scowl off his face at the sight of it. He shifted the light boy in his arms and sighed, stepping through the portal. It irked the man that only he and Shade were capable of leaving the Ghost Zone, while every other Shadowhunter was stuck in that tiresome realm. It was odd that only he and the boy could enter and exit through the portal, though. Blaze knew it was because of something inside the other Shadowhunters that did not allow them to go through the portal. Something inside their cores tied them to the Ghost Zone, and it would take something momentous to break that tie.

_And I know exactly how to do that, _the man reminded himself, glancing down at the sleeping boy. _Soon, every one of my loyal followers will be set free, to wreak havoc on the pathetic humans. Ah yes, this reminds me. _

The ancient Shadowhunter flew quickly through the night air, towards his student's home. Once he had dropped Shade off he would need to take care of some business. He grinned. _Time for a little midnight shopping._

* * *

Danny Phantom sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with one hand. The young half-ghost yawned for the hundredth time that night, and stared out over the silent and sleeping Amity Park. He didn't know exactly what time it was, but he could tell it was late. The teen just couldn't fall asleep. He kept having anxious thoughts every time he tried to. It gave him an uneasy feeling in his gut. Something bad was about to happen, he knew it.

But, so far nothing had. The young boy sighed again, cupping his chin in his palm as he sat on the top of a stone ledge. _Am I just being paranoid? Just because nothing bad has happened in a while, doesn't mean that something will. _

Danny groaned, fisting his hands into his hair. What was he even doing out here? It was past midnight, most likely, and he had school tomorrow! How was he going to explain his zombie like state to his friends tomorrow? _As if they're not being prying enough already, _he thought in annoyance.

Sam and Tuck had been doting on him like crazy lately, and it was beginning to become annoying. Though, he supposed he couldn't blame them. He had been behaving … distant. The boy sighed and stood up, his white hair whipping against his face when the wind picked up. "I guess I should head home," he said quietly to himself, glancing up at the crescent moon. "Not like there's anything out her-"

He was interrupted by an icy mist escaping between his lips. The ghost boy immediately frowned and turned in the direction his ghost sense was pointing him. Danny narrowed his bright green eyes and caught sight of a dark muscular figure flying steadily towards the distant Axion Lab building.

_Who is that? And why is he going towards Axion?_ Most ghosts avoided the place as much as they could, so why would one be flying towards it? The young half-ghost scowled and took to the air after the mysterious ghost, keeping enough distance so that the other couldn't sense him.

From what he could see, the ghost looked almost human, clothed in a black outfit and appeared to be a male. The ghost seemed familiar, but Danny just couldn't place exactly from where he'd seen him before. The boy quickly dropped to the ground and ducked behind a tree when the mystery ghost slowed his flight and turned around, glancing curiously behind him with bright orange eyes.

Danny scowled, recognition appearing in his own eyes. _That's Blaze_. It was almost scary how human the ghost looked, excluding his blue skin and glowing eyes. Blaze scanned the air behind him and then the ground below, making the teen wonder if he might have sensed him. The ghost shrugged then continued flying towards Axion. Danny sighed in relief before peeking out from behind the tree, frowning even more when he saw the ghost phase into the Axion Lab building. _I don't know what he's doing in there, but I'm not gonna let him do it. _

The white haired boy flew into the air after Blaze and phased through the roof of the building, staying invisible to avoid being seen by the various cameras mounted on the corridor walls. He looked down each side of the hallway and followed the direction Blaze's ecto-signature went. It led him to a large, silver sliding door with the words 'Authorized Personnel Only' written on it. _Apparently, he doesn't care much for rules._ The ghost boy slowly stuck his head through the door, seeing nothing at first but rows of odd machinery and test tubes filled with glowing liquids.

This room seemed to hold even more surveillance systems than he had seen in the hallway, but Danny couldn't understand why. There didn't appear to be anything important in here, Danny's gaze landed on the item in the back of the room and his mouth opened slightly. It looked to be some sort of circular metal gear, incased in a blue energy shield that sparked with electrical energy. _Well, I guess that would be important, _the boy corrected himself.

It seemed that Blaze thought so too, because he appeared in front of the object with an interested smile on his face. The ghost placed his palms about an inch above the energy shield, wincing as a small jolt of electricity shot up his arms.

_What is he doing? _Danny frowned, watching in rapt fascination as Blaze encased his hands in flickering, orange fire before pushing them through the energy shield. The ghost's shoulder tensed in pain and Danny could hear him grunt loudly as he shoved his hands deeper into the shield. Electricity began to crackle around Blaze, coating his entire body in sparking energy, but the man didn't seem that affected by it.

Blaze growled. "I … almost got it!" he said triumphantly as he firmly grabbed the gear with both hands before pulling them back out of the shield.

The ghost stood still for a moment, his body trembling from the excess electricity that shocked him as it left his body. Then he began to laugh, a quiet eerie chuckle that sent shivers down Danny's spine. "Too easy," Blaze said, a grin evident in his voice, and he turned around, the gear in hand, to see Danny watching him with narrowed eyes.

The smile left the ghost's face and his expression darkened. "Well, I see that I am not alone," the man said slowly, as Danny phased the rest of the way through the door. He then floated towards the strange ghost before landing in front of him, keeping a safe distance.

"No you're not," the half-ghost said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I suggest that you put, whatever that round thing is, back where it came from."

"Oh, you mean this?" Blaze held up the gear, a smirk tugging at his mouth. The gear was indeed round in shape, almost like a donut, with odd little blue lines running up the sides. It was small too, fitting easily into Blaze's palm. "I don't think so, young halfa. I'll be taking care of this." The ghost slipped the gear slowly into his pocket, almost tauntingly.

Danny growled at the man's condescending tone, reminding him too much of Plasmius, and took a fighting stance. "No you're not. That doesn't belong to you."

"And I suppose, you think you can stop me from taking it?" Blaze asked, his tone implying that he was very amused at the idea, and he actually chuckled quietly, placing his right hand on his chin.

The half-ghost clenched his jaw angrily, his green eyes shining brighter. _Alright, he is just asking to get sucked into the thermos. _"I know I can," the boy answered steadily, green ecto-energy beginning to burn in his hands.

"You are a determined little boy, aren't you?" Blaze stated, raising an eyebrow. "Well, if you think you can, stop me." He shrugged uncaringly, as if the thought of being stopped hadn't even crossed his mind. It was a very infuriating gesture, one that didn't escape the young half-ghost's attention.

Danny didn't need any more urging and he leapt forward, swinging a punch at Blaze's head. The man simply phased through his fist and, as Danny stumbled, he grabbed the back of the boy's jumpsuit and slammed him into a rack of metal inventions in the corner, where he fell to the ground on his bottom. Danny yelped as the devices rained down on him, hitting him painfully on the shoulders and head.

"You missed, I'm afraid," Blaze said, watching in amusement as Danny struggled back to his feet. The half-ghost's only response was a loud snarl before he fired a strong ecto-blast at Blaze's chest. The man calmly created a wall of flames in front of his body that easily burned away his opponent's blast.

Blaze sighed. "Another miss. Sad really, I was expecting more from someone with your reputation."

"Shut up!" Danny shouted, firing a volley of ecto-blasts at his opponent. Somehow, Blaze managed to dodge every single one, causing the blasts to explode into the walls and ground behind him, reducing the room to a broken mess.

Blaze looked around at the destruction and shook his head. "Tch, the humans are not going to be happy with you."

The half-ghost paused in his assault and looked around, his eyes widening. _Oh man, he's right. I need to be more careful. _Danny absorbed the ecto-energy back into his body, opting to finish this fight with hand-to-hand combat. He didn't want to destroy anything else. With a battle cry, the teen flew towards Blaze and tried to hit him with a strong kick, but, yet again, he missed.

The man ducked out of the way of the attack and slid to the side. As Danny passed him, Blaze rammed his shoulder into the boy's back, sending him flying into the energy shield that had earlier protected the round gear.

Danny screamed out loud. The agony rushing through his body was just too much. It brought stinging tears to his eyes and made his hair stand on end. His limbs shook in spasms and the lights flickered before extinguishing, sending the room into darkness. When the power went out so did the energy shield, allowing the half-ghost to fall onto his hands and knees, panting heavily.

"Oh, I bet that hurt," Blaze said, standing over the beaten half-ghost. He grinned devilishly as the boy struggled to stand. The ancient Shadowhunter had enjoyed this fight. He had been wishing for a good battle for a long time, since he was unable to fight at full strength when training his young pupil. Danny Phantom was certainly a powerful opponent. "But, as I said I would, I have won. And now I shall depart with my prize."

The man took a few steps back, tilting his head to the side at hearing the distant sound of pounding feet. Someone was coming, and they were not happy. "I hope to see you again, young Phantom," Blaze said, before turning intangible and flying through the ceiling.

Danny groaned quietly, his left hand holding his head gingerly. "Ow," he mumbled, his back stinging with each movement he made. _Well, I don't think that could've ended any worse. _Suddenly, the doors at the far end of the room burst open and Damon Gray charged inside, flanked by two guards brandishing ecto-guns.

The African American man narrowed his eyes at the ghost boy and pulled out his own gun, already beginning to glow in preparation for firing. "Phantom! What are you doing in here?!" The man demanded, his tone sounding aggressive but slightly surprised as well.

The half-ghost struggled to his feet, a grimace clear on his pale face. _Okay, I stand corrected. _The boy held up his hands, "Wait, wait. I can explain," he said sincerely, though in the back of his mind he knew he was wasting his time. What were the chances that they would listen to a ghost, let alone Public Ghost Enemy Number One?

Danny's fears were realized when Mr. Gray scowled and raised the glowing ecto-gun to point directly at his chest. "Sorry, but I'm not going to risk my job to listen to a ghost." Damon fired, and Danny just barely managed to phase through the attack.

The boy cast a fearful glance at the angered man, before he flew into the air and out of the building. Breathing hard, he ran a hand shakily through his hair as he stared down at Axion, and sighed. "Oh great," he growled. "Now I'm gonna get blamed for what Blaze stole."

Danny winced, angling his body in the direction of his home, feeling exhaustion press down on his muscles. His vision blurred momentarily and he blinked quickly to clear it. The boy was so tired. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the next two years. He couldn't even think coherently. Every time he tried to string a thought together, his mind got all fuzzy before he eventually just gave up and focused on the wind whipping around his face.

"I'm gonna be so sore tomorrow," he grumbled under his breath.

ML: Heh, I can't believe I was even able to write this. It was, like, totally action packed from start to finish … and it didn't take a month to write! Whoa, it's incredible. So, yes the plot thickens. Yes, there is a plot thank you for all you non-believers. Um, well, if you've any questions just review and there's a pretty good chance that I'll answer you. You know, unless you ask what's gonna happen. Sorry, but I'm not revealing anything.


	20. Conversations

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 20: Conversations

**Warning: **This chapter does contain a reference to God, and it is not in the nicest way. Remember that this is not my personal opinion, only the character's. If you are offended in anyway with matters like these, please do not read this, or skip around that part. Thanks in advance.

Jazz Fenton stared dully into the mirror, brushing her long red hair almost robotically. She was trying her hardest not to let her mind wander, but it was very challenging for her. Every time she had nothing to occupy her time, her thoughts would inexplicably go to Tyler. _No, _the girl cut herself off. _I'm not gonna think about him. He said himself that he doesn't want to see me anymore. And I don't want to see him. _

Jazz nodded firmly, setting her face in a grim glare. The moment she turned away from her reflection her face fell and she sighed quietly. How did she keep getting back on this subject? The girl frowned and walked slowly out of the bathroom heading downstairs. Along the way she passed her brother who smiled at her and waved his hand in a greeting. But Jazz ignored him, lifting her chin as she stalked into the kitchen to grab her car keys of the hook.

"Jazz?" Danny said, coming up behind his sister. The girl acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued getting ready for school by packing her supplies into her backpack. "C'mon, Jazz. I need to talk to you."

Jazz turned around, her teal blue eyes narrowed, a scowl on her face. Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously and cleared his throat. "Listen Jazz, I really think this silent treatment thing has gone on long enough."

The eldest Fenton huffed and pushed past her younger brother, heading for the door. But Danny continued to try and plead his case. "I've said I was sorry and you know how I feel about what happened …"

The half-ghost stopped as Jazz arrived at the front door and opened it. "Jazz please," Danny whispered, reaching out with his left hand to touch his sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened. So why are you blaming me for what Tyler did?"

"Don't say his name." Jazz snarled, turning around to face her brother, clenching her shaking hands into fists. "I don't want to hear it!" The pain was clear in her voice and Danny took a step back, his eyes wide. Jazz took a shuddering breath, her thin shoulders shaking. "I just want to be left alone, Danny."

The ghost boy swallowed and nodded his head with a dazed expression. He didn't know if he should feel happy that his sister had spoken to him or saddened at the agony that was clearly still with her. He backed away from Jazz. She then spun around, storming out of the house and down the steps to the sidewalk below. Not glancing behind her once, Jazz walked to her car and drove away. "Okay Jazz," Danny murmured, his voice breaking.

"Okay."

--

Tyler woke slowly, cracking his eyes open an inch, before shutting them again tightly. He moaned pitifully when he felt aching pangs begin to radiate throughout his entire body. He was in so much pain at the moment, that it brought stinging tears to his eyes. _What happened? Why am I hurting so badly? And where am I? _The boy forced his eyes open once more, surprised to see the familiar blue walls of his room, followed by his Dumpty Humpty and muscle car posters.

_How did I get back here? The last thing I remember is Blaze choking me. _Ty's eyebrows drew together, and he scowled fiercely into empty space. "That stupid jerk," he snarled, his voice sounding raspy.

He knew now why he was in so much pain. Blaze had done this to him, just like every other training session. The boy suppressed a groan of agony as he rolled onto his side to glance at the clock. It was almost nine o'clock. _I knew I'd miss school today, _the young Shadowhunter thought with a gusty sigh. "And there goes my grade point average, whoosh, right down the tube."

Ty chuckled darkly, his sense of despair rising, but his laughter quickly turned into whimpers and he stopped to take a deep breath. "Keep it together, dude. Don't lose it now," he told himself reassuringly. The boy swallowed the lump growing in his throat, and clenched his fists angrily, but his fury slowly drained away and after a few moments, he just flopped limply back into his pillow. He just didn't have the energy to be angry. _I can't believe Blaze did this to me. Doesn't he know that beating me is not helping me to get better?_

The ghost teen sighed quietly, staring up at his ceiling sadly. Though he didn't know it, his eyes had taken on a foggy golden glow and his face had changed to a dazed and slightly confused expression. _But that's just it, Blaze is trying to help me. He's only ever tried to help me. _Tyler felt a tingling in his palm, but he ignored it, too wrapped up in his thoughts to pay attention to the odd sensation.

_Blaze doesn't mean to hurt me. It's probably just part of training. I'm sure every other Shadowhunter went through the same thing as me, and they're all right. _The boy nodded dazedly, his headache returning.

"He means well," Tyler mumbled, not hearing the submissive sound in his voice. Suddenly, the glow faded from his eyes and Ty stiffened, his lips drawing down into an angry scowl. "What the heck?" What had he just been thinking? _Did I just say that Blaze means well?! _

"What's wrong with me?" Ty whispered in fright, his voice sounding small and weak to his ears. He felt so confused, it was almost painful. Half of him believed that Blaze was only trying to help him, and that he should respect the ancient Shadowhunter. While the other half knew that the man was just trying to hurt him. Which part of him was right? Which part of him should he listen to? There seemed to be two voices shouting inside of his mind the last few days. Tyler clenched his eyes shut, grabbing his hair tightly.

_Stop, stop. _"Stop!" he screamed out loud, the noise seeming to echo around his room. The voices dwindled away, until the ghost teen could hear only his rasping breath. He placed his right hand shakily against his sweaty forehead. _I think I'm loosing it. _The boy breathed in deeply as he tried to calm himself.

"I-I need to get up," he mumbled, pushing the covers off his legs. He needed to move, no matter how painful that sounded, to get his blood flowing. Ty struggled out from under his heavy comforter and placed his shaking feet on the cold wooden floor. "Okay, okay, just stand up." The boy hissed in an agonized breath when he tried to use his leg muscles and he flopped back onto his bottom.

_You've gotta be kidding me, _the ghost teen gritted his teeth and tried to stand again. He got about halfway up, before his legs wobbled and he lost his balance, falling forward to land heavily on his hands and knees.

"Crap," Tyler growled in frustration, before his arms gave out on him and he dropped fully to the ground. The boy bit his tongue on accident, causing more pain to rush throughout his body. "**Ouch!**" he shouted, rolling onto his side and curling into a ball to ride out the pain.

"Dat her'," Ty mumbled around his throbbing tongue. He waited for several minutes until he felt that it was okay to move, and then he propped himself up on one elbow, glaring at the floor mutinously. _Okay, can't stand up. So I'll just have to not stand up. _Tyler frowned heavily, forcing his body to become intangible. Tyler squeaked at the sudden feeling of intangibility as he fell through his bedroom floor.

He looked down just as he landed on the couch, throwing up a puff of lint and dust. "Oof," the boy gasped as the breath was driven from him and he let his head flop back onto the cushion. _Alright, _he panted, his chest rising and falling quickly. _That was stupid. _

Groaning loudly, Ty forced his body upright and tried to stand on his weak legs. He stumbled, but managed to catch himself against the wall before he did a full-on face plant. "You can stand, Ty. C'mon it ain't that hard," he coached himself, setting his face in a determined scowl. The young Shadowhunter struggled into the kitchen, where he leaned on the counter to keep his wobbling legs locked. Sighing, Tyler reached up into a cupboard for a glass, but the moment his hand grasped the cup it slipped from his fingers, and bounced off the counter heading towards the floor.

"Oh cru-" Tyler said, spinning around to grab the glass, but someone else already had. The boy's brown eyes widened at the black gloved hand that held his cup, and he lifted his face up to see Plasmius smiling lightly at him.

"I think you dropped this," the ghost said, offering the teen the glass.

Tyler's surprised expression disappeared to be replaced with happy relief. "Plasmius," he said, grinning. "Thanks, man." He took the glass out of his friend's hand and placed it on the breakfast nook, before hobbling over to a nearby chair. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but … what're you doing in my house?"

Plasmius smiled lightly, floating around the nook to stand in front of Ty, his arms crossed over his chest. "I've got something important to tell you," the ghost said, his fangs showing he was grinning so widely.

"Uh …" the ghost teen leaned away from Plasmius, feeling a bit unnerved at his expression. "What?"

"You remember when I promised to help you, Tyler?" the blue skinned ghost asked, his red eyes shining brighter. Ty nodded slowly, recalling the time at least three weeks ago, when Plasmius had met him on top of the Cathedral. But he didn't understand what that had to do with anything.

"Yeah, why?" Tyler said, frowning. Was it possible that Plasmius had found a way to help him so fast? It seemed too good to be true.

Plasmius floated closer and placed his hand on Ty's right shoulder. "I've figured out a way for you to rid yourself of your Shadowhunter problem," the ghost said seriously.

"R-really," Tyler whispered, stunned. "How?"

The black haired man looked affronted, and he lifted his chin dignifiedly. "I'll have you know just because I'm dead, does not mean I am stupid."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic," he chastised jokingly. "I never said you were dumb. But what's your idea?"

Plasmius smiled again, looking quite pleased with himself. "I mulled over it for days, you see." He floated away from the teen, and began pacing back and forth. "At first, I thought it was impossible. The mere idea was absurd, but I pursued it. And with a bit of research, I discovered the answer to your problem." The ghost turned to face Tyler, who had begun to doze off a little at the long speech. "A portal."

"A portal?" Tyler repeated in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "Like, a Ghost Zone portal?"

"Exactly," Plasmius answered, a fire burning in his eyes. Tyler tried to assimilate what the man meant, but he was drawing a blank. The ghost seemed to understand the boy's confused expression and he rolled his eyes. _Oh, cheese logs! Do I have to spell it out for you? _Plasmius kept a firm hold on his sarcastic thought and said, "I can create a machine that can make a portal to the Ghost Zone. With the right components, and a bit of luck, I'll be able to put Blaze back into the Zone. Permanently."

Tyler took in Plasmius' narrowed eyes and triumphant grin with an awed expression, his breath caught in his throat. _He- he's serious. He can really get rid of Blaze. This can't be happening. It's just impossible. _"How long will it take to make the machine?"

"Not long." Plasmius rubbed his goatee slowly, a small frown coming to his face. "It will take some time to acquire all the necessary items," he paused, and gazed solemnly down at the teenager. "And for that, I will need your help."

"What do you need me to do?" Ty asked automatically. Anything that he could do to get rid of Blaze he would do. _I just want my life back. _

Plasmius shook his head. "You do not need to worry about it now but when the time comes, I'll tell you."

Tyler nodded complacently. "Sure, whatever you say, Plasmius." The ghost teen yawned widely, missing the evil glint in Plasmius' eyes as he did. The half-ghost was extremely pleased that getting Tyler to agree to his terms had been so simple. The boy truly had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"So, ah, do you need anything?" Tyler asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess you don't get hungry, or thirsty for that matter … but, I, uh you could watch T.V or something."

Plasmius chuckled quietly and ruffled the boy's hair. "As intriguing as that sounds, I can not. There is much work to be done yet, Tyler."

Ty flattened out his mussed hair, scowling good-naturedly. "Yeah, okay then." He sighed sadly. _I don't want to be left alone, but Plasmius has to go. _"I guess I'll see ya around?"

"Sooner than you think, my young friend," Plasmius said, saluting before turning intangible and flying through the roof. Once he was in the air, a good block from the boy's house he began to chuckle evilly. "Sooner than you think," the half-ghost added, a smile on his face from thoughts only he knew.

--

"Of course you had to get hungry," Ty muttered under his breath, struggling to walk down the sidewalk. Each step he took sent bolts of pain rocketing up his muscles, causing him to gasp and cringe every moment. "You couldn't just wait until mom got home? No, that'd have been way too easy."

The young Shadowhunter had tried his best to ignore the hunger pains, but he just couldn't. And, of course, there was no eatable food in the house other than those odd little knickknacks everyone had in their homes. _What was that stuff anyway? _Ty rubbed a hand down his face, grimacing at a particularly strong twinge of his muscles. _Like, canned asparagus or something? Who eats that? _

Tyler stopped beside a newspaper stand to rest for a moment, his breaths coming out in small pants. He wiped a hand across his forehead, sweat drops coming away as he did. Even though it was the middle of November he was sweating. "Why am I thinking about asparagus anyway?"

The ghost teen sighed as an older couple walked past him, sending him a disproving and suspicious glance. The gray haired woman sniffed and shook her head, whispering something to her husband as she did. Tyler scowled. Who did that old hag think she was, judging him on the spot like that? _Bet she thinks I'm some sorta gang member. _Ty thought, stuffing his hands in his jacket pocket, feeling extremely self-conscious of the bruises lining his neck and face.

The boy had no clue his eyes had taken on a faint golden hue, not enough to actually glow, but to change his eyes from brown to an odd yellow color. "What are you staring at, Grandma?" he growled his voice sounding harsh and uncaring. "Mind your business."

The woman gasped, placing a hand to her chest, while the man drew himself up to his full height, his mustache practically bristling. "Now see here, young man-"

"Save it, Pops," Ty interrupted, his mouth twisting up into a cruel smirk. He pushed his sore body off the wall and strolled in the opposite direction of the older couple, listening to their angry remarks with a slight smile. Halfway down the sidewalk, Ty's eyes returned to their normal color and he froze mid-step.

_Why did I just say that? _The boy thought, raising his left hand up to grab his short hair, his expression becoming panicked. _I-I would never say that to anyone, especially not a little old lady. But … I just did. _

Something was not right. Ty knew it. He hadn't been acting like himself, he was angry more than usual. This … this wasn't him at all. A sob rising in his throat, Tyler collapsed onto a bench behind him, dropping his head into his hands. "Why is this happening?" he whispered, his voice sounding strained, as tears pricked in his eyes. _What did I do to deserve this? Wasn't dad leaving enough? _

Tyler dragged his right hand across his eyes and pulled his hood up to cover his hair and face against the increasing wind. He looked to the sky, eyes narrowed and a scowl adorning his lips. "Haven't you done enough to me?" the boy hissed his words full of disdain. He had no clue who he was talking to. The young Shadowhunter didn't believe in God or the devil for that matter, after all that had happened to him over the years he knew there was no way there was a God.

A real God wouldn't let horrible things happen to innocent people. And with all the suffering in the world, how could there possibly be a higher power up there? So, Tyler really didn't know why he was scowling at the sky. He knew there wasn't anything up there, but it felt better to blame someone for all the terrible things that had happened to him lately.

"You've got one sick sense of humor, you know that?" Ty continued to say, his expression torn between grief and rage. "What'd I ever do to you? Why'd you have to go and ruin my life? Why can't you just pick on someone else for a change?"

The ghost teen sniffled, the threat of tears coming again but he fought them off, his eyes taking on a furious golden glow. He leapt to his feet and shouted at the sky, "I want my old life back!" His scream disturbed a flock of pigeons that took off in a flurry of feathers, while a few nearby residents jumped in surprise, their eyes going to the angry young man. Tyler could feel their gazes on him and he fisted his hands, lowering his eyebrows in a fierce scowl.

_Screw you, God. Screw you. _Tyler stomped away from the bench, heading towards the grocery store to finish his original plan of getting food. Stomping wasn't the best way to walk Ty found out, as his legs gave out on him two steps away from the bench and he collapsed onto the sidewalk, landing hard on his hands and knees. The teen snarled, slamming his fist against the ground. "Why can't I do anything right?!"

Tyler clenched his jaw, pushing his back against a brick wall and drawing his legs up to his chest. _Why can't everything just go back to normal? _He buried his face in his knees, a sob attempting to burst from his mouth. As Ty shifted his foot something heavy fell from his jeans pocket. The young Shadowhunter lifted his head an inch and stared with wide eyes at Clockwork's time medallion laying beside his foot.

He slowly raised his left hand and picked up the gear shaped necklace, weighing it in his palm. _I-I didn't even know I still had this … _Ty closed his fist around the medallion, squeezing it tightly. "Clockwork, if you're listening … I really need some help," the boy whispered, slipping the gear around his neck. "C'mon man, help me out here."

Ty's eyes flicked around his surroundings, waiting for anything supernatural to happen, he'd take anything. "Please Clockwork," the ghost teen said again, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please, please."

The boy's eyes popped open when he felt a cold presence surround him, followed by the powerful voice that said, "Time out." Ty's face brightened ever so slightly as he saw time literally freeze around him and Clockwork appear through a portal. The child-like ghost nodded at the Shadowhunter, his face expressionless.

"Clockwork," Ty said, getting to his feet as quickly as he could. "It's so good to see you."

The ghost changed form into a withered old man before saying, "I see that you managed to keep my medallion."

"You knew I would," the teen answered slowly, feeling a hint of unease at the ghost's tone. "Listen, I gotta talk to you, Clockwork. You have to help me." Tyler stumbled forward, reaching out for the all knowing Time Ghost. "Please, I need help, Clockwork."

The ghost raised a hand, stopping Ty's approach. "I can not. You know this, young Shadowhunter. I can not disrupt the natural flow of time. I came because you used the medallion to call me …" Clockwork changed form once more into a young man. "But I can not help you."

Tyler shook his head, taking a step back. "B-but … I need someone. Something's happening to me, and I can't stop it." He reached forward and grabbed Clockwork's arm. "Blaze is turning me into something I'm not a-and I can't stop him. You gotta help me. You're the only one who can!"

Clockwork's face remained impassive, and he placed his hand on Ty's right shoulder. He took a deep breath and said, "That is not true." Clockwork released the boy and turned back to his portal. He glanced over his shoulder at Tyler. "Open your eyes, young Shadowhunter, and you will see that is not true. There are those who are willing to help you. But you must see them."

"Who, Clockwork?" the teen asked desperately, reaching out for the ghost again. "Who? Please tell me!"

"You must find them yourself. I can not interfere."

"No, Clockwork stop!" Ty shouted, stumbling forward on trembling legs. "Don't leave me! Don't you dare leave me." The boy's eyes took on a golden glow, and he clenched his fists. "It's your fault. All of this is your fault! You said nothing bad would happen. You lied to me!"

The time ghost shook his ancient head slowly, looking deep into the teen's golden eyes. He floated closer to the portal, about to enter it but turned back to Tyler. "Remember, Tyler. Only you can decide your future. Only you have the power to choose your fate."

Ty's shoulders began to shake, his entire body erupting into a golden aura. "Save your stupid philosophies, Clockwork. I don't want to hear it. If you're not going to help me then, just buzz off!" The ghost said nothing, only nodded once, before disappearing through the portal. Ty shouted after him, as time resumed its natural flow, "I hate you! I hate you!" The ghost teen quickly realized that time was moving again, and he forced his ghostly energy away, returning his appearance to normal, though his breathing was still loud, forcing his lanky frame to tremble.

He open and closed his hands several times, staring at the spot Clockwork had been with his eyebrows lowered and nostrils flared. _That-that jerk. He's not gonna help me. No one is … _Ty's face fell, his anger disappearing as if it had never been there. _I'm on my own. _

The boy gasped in shock as a cold metal hand wrapped around his mouth, smothering his shout of surprise. "You're making quite a scene, ghost-child," a very familiar robotic voice whispered in Tyler's ear. The ghost teen breathed quickly through his nose, his chest heaving with the effort as he struggled to pull free from Skulker's grip. Where had he come from? _And why is he following me? I-I thought he decided to leave me alone. _

Tyler shivered in fear as Skulker pulled him backwards into an alleyway. The young Shadowhunter had never gotten over his fear of the hunter ghost. After his first encounter with him, how could he? But what could Skulker possibly want? Ty yelped in pain when his back was slammed against a wall, his head banging painfully into the unforgiving bricks. The hand left his mouth and Ty greedily sucked in oxygen, only to have Skulker grab his throat and tilt his head back. Ty stared into the hunter ghost's eerie green eyes with a sense of growing fear. He knew this wouldn't end well.

Skulker smiled at the frightened expression on the boy's face and squeezed his throat tighter, causing him to gasp. "It's been a while hasn't it, _Shadowhunter_?" Skulker asked, lifting the squirming boy off the ground by his neck.

Tyler's face went pale, and he tugged desperately at the metal hand around his throat. He couldn't breathe! Skulker leaned closer, so close that Ty could clearly hear the whir and hum of his robotic suit. "We have some unfinished business, child."

_That doesn't sound good. _Ty's body froze, sweat breaking out on his forehead. _This is really bad. _The boy tried to say something, anything to make Skulker let him go, but he couldn't. The hand around his throat was making it too hard to breathe, let alone talk. He could only manage a small squeak that earned him mocking laughter from Skulker. "Well, if you have no argument …" Skulker said while reaching into one of his many compartments.

The young Shadowhunter made a loud choking sound as something metallic and glowing green snapped around his neck to replace Skulker's hand. Ty was dropped to the ground, and he landed on his knees, his hands instinctively going to the collar now clasped painfully tight around his throat. The boy tried to turn intangible to get the thing off, but it didn't work. "What … uh, is this?!" Tyler shouted, tugging desperately at the collar. His eyes widened in horror. _I can't use my powers!_

Skulker laughed again, placing his hands on his hips and squaring his massive shoulders. "I made that especially for you, Shadowhunter. It suppresses your powers, in case you were wondering." the ghost explained, hauling Ty to his feet by grabbing onto the back of the metal collar. "I couldn't have you running away, now could I?"

Tyler began to gasp for breath, his chest heaving up and down as a burst of adrenaline spiked into his blood stream. This situation just reminded him too much of his nightmares. And the fact that he was too weak to escape only made it worse. "Please," Ty whimpered, his face scrunching in agony. "Just let me go."

"_After_ we've had our little chat," Skulker growled, clearly enjoying the boy's torment. He chuckled and flew into the air, dragging the young Shadowhunter along with him. The robotic ghost landed on the roof of a tall building and threw Ty to the ground, smirking with satisfaction as the teenager made a loud yelping sound. Skulker turned his back on the boy, confident that he wouldn't escape. There was nowhere for him to go anyway. And without the use of his powers, the whelp was helpless.

The hunter ghost activated his advanced binoculars and peered through them, searching for his other prey. He heard Tyler struggle to his feet behind him, but didn't bother to turn around. _The child is much too weak at this moment to pose a threat to me, _the ghost thought flippantly, recalling what his employer had told him earlier that day about the boy's condition. When Plasmius had come to him with this particular job, Skulker had jumped at the offer.

_To think, I'm getting paid to enjoy myself. _Skulker thought with a chuckle, green eyes scanning the streets below. He was looking for his favorite prey to hunt: Danny Phantom. By his employer's orders, it was time to reveal a little secret to the young Shadowhunter. And Skulker would greatly enjoy the look on both of the half-ghost's faces when he did. Oh, how he was looking forward to this. Skulker was awakened from his thoughts when he heard Tyler shuffling unsteadily towards the edge of the roof. _Not giving up, are you, whelp?_

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Skulker said warningly, still gazing down at the street. "It's quite a long drop."

Tyler glanced fearfully at Skulker's back. _How did he know what I was doing?_ The teen moved away from the side of the roof, his legs beginning to shake dangerously. He was so tired. "What do you want, Skulker?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice steady as he pulled again at the device around his neck. He didn't know if the collar was the one making him feel so weak or if it was just his own exhausted body, but he needed it off, now. _I don't know what Skulker wants but I really don't think it's good. _

Skulker spared the trembling Shadowhunter a quick glance, grinning evilly. "You'll see, child. I promise you that." The ghost chuckled at the frightened expression on Tyler's face, before a beeping sound from his suit's tracking system caught his attention. He retracted his binoculars and looked in the direction his suit was pointing him in. "Ah, there you are," Skulker breathed, green eyes glowing brighter. He had found his favorite prey. And he was alone. _Perfect. _

The ghost turned around to face Tyler, who had fallen to the ground with his back pressed against the brick siding of the roof. The boy continued to tug uselessly at the device around his neck, becoming more and more desperate with each failed attempt. Ty looked up and gasped upon seeing Skulker walking towards him menacingly. Before he could move, Skulker bent down and grabbed the collar again, dragging Tyler to his feet.

"No. Please, Skulker. Just let me go!" the Shadowhunter cried, choking a bit as the device around his neck tightened.

"Quiet, child," Skulker said warningly, slapping his hand over the teen's mouth. He pulled Tyler to the edge of the building so they were both looking down on the dark alleyway from before. "Just watch." the ghost added, glancing to the other side of the alley. _When the whelp's ghost sense alerts him to our presence he'll run in here and … _Skulker grinned, too excited to even continue thinking.

Tyler stared down into the alley, confusion drawing his eyebrows together. _What? Is he going to push me off or something? _He tried to pull away but Skulker held him tighter, his hand digging painfully into the boy's upper arm.

"Keep watching, boy."

The Shadowhunter's eyes unwillingly went back to the alleyway and his breathing picked up. He saw a young boy jog into the alley, his raven black hair bouncing up and down with each stride he took. He came to a stop in a patch of sunlight and Ty's eyes widened at seeing the teenager dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white and red t-shirt. _Oh my god! That's Danny! What does Skulker want with him? _

The ghost teen tried to shout a warning, but the hand covering his mouth smothered his words. "Shh," Skulker said, his grin widening. "You'll ruin the climax."

_What does he mean … And why is there mist coming from Danny's mouth? _Ty looked closer and could definitely see a blue-ish, white vapor coming from between the other boy's lips. _I've seen that before, but what does it mean? _

Danny glanced around, a frown beginning to form on his face. Then he did something that turned Ty's blood to ice and made his breath catch in his throat. The youngest Fenton threw his hands into the air and said, "Goin' ghost." As he did, a white ring of light encased his body traveling from his head to his toes and when it disappeared, Danny Phantom stood in Danny Fenton's place.

Tyler stared, his eyes wide and limbs suddenly unable to move. _No. No, it can't be. This is a trick. I-it's not true. _The Shadowhunter gaped at the white hair that replaced the black, the black jumpsuit that replaced the jeans and t-shirt, the green eyes that replaced the blue. He shook his head in unrestrained despair. "No," he moaned, trying to turn his head away. _It couldn't be Danny. Not this whole time … i-it's not true._

"Oh, yes," Skulker said, laughing quietly as he forced Tyler's head back. "But don't worry. It gets better." The hunter ghost cleared his throat and shouted down at Danny, "Up here, whelp!" Phantom immediately leapt into the air, heading straight for Skulker.

"What do you want now, Skul-" Danny stopped, freezing in the air as he came face to face with Tyler. The white haired teen's mouth dropped open, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Tyler's expression matched his exactly, while Skulker was smiling so wide his suit's jaw almost disconnected.

"D-Danny?" Ty whispered, after realizing Skulker had released his mouth a moment before. "How- what?" the teen trailed off, staring dazedly at the ghost boy. At this point he really didn't know what to feel. He felt so shocked at this new revelation that he didn't feel anything. He was just, numb.

Danny could only stare, disbelief clear on his face. He couldn't believe that his secret was now blown. And to make this situation worse, it was to his new enemy. _What do I do? _The half-ghost didn't know. He had no clue what he could possibly say.

The two ghost boy's shocked gaze was broken by Skulker's sudden laughter, and Ty felt the grip on his collar tighten. "So now you know the truth about your little friend, Shadowhunter." the ghost said, speaking mostly to Tyler. "He's been manipulating you from the beginning. You were never friends."

Tyler shook his head, unable to say anything against Skulker's words. He looked to Danny, but the teen said nothing. He didn't even glare. "Danny …" Ty whispered, searching his ex-friend's face for any sign of denial, but there was none.

_It is true, _the Shadowhunter thought, turning his eyes away from the white haired boy. When Ty looked back up, Danny was gone. It was only him and Skulker. The ghost released Ty, and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the edge of the roof. He leaned there, trembling from head to toe. _I-I can't believe it. This entire time Danny was Phantom. _The Shadowhunter reached up and ran his hands along the metal collar, staring at nothing. _Skulker was … right. _

"I can't believe it," the boy said, his voice barely above a whisper. "He was … the whole time."

Skulker laughed again, clearly enjoying the pained tone in the Shadowhunter's voice. "As is the nature of half-ghosts, boy," the hunter ghost said, reaching up to unhook the collar from Ty's neck. After he did, he put the device away and turned to leave. He was only supposed to expose the whelp, and now that he had done that, his job was complete. But Tyler's voice stopped him.

"Half-ghost?" the teen muttered, looking at the roof beneath his feet. "Danny's a … half-ghost?" It made sense, in a weird way. _I guess that means he's half human and half ghost. Sorta like me. _

Skulker nodded, still grinning evilly. "Yes. And the next time we meet, you can thank me for exposing him." The hunter ghost tilted his head to the side when the Shadowhunter stared blankly into open space, as if he were the only one there. _That's how Danny appeared when Jazz got hurt in the park. He was Phantom. And he just changed back when I wasn't looking. He saw the entire thing._ Ty thought, his face completely blank.

The boy began to mumble, "All this time," under his breath, making Skulker wonder if Tyler had even heard what he had said. It sure didn't look like it.

Skulker shifted his feet for a moment and then turned invisible before flying into the air. He glanced down, but the Shadowhunter hadn't even noticed his exit. The ghost shook his head as he opened up his com link to speak with his employer. Plasmius' plan had been a success.

ML: Heh-heh, um yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm really sorry for the wait. My beta and I have both been busy. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. And again, I apologize for the mentioning of God. It is not my personal opinion, only Tyler's. I am truly sorry if that offended anyone. It was not meant to. 


	21. Anger Management

Disclaimer: Don't own DP.

Chapter 21: Anger Management

Danny tapped his pencil nervously against his desk. He stopped for a moment to chew on the eraser, before resuming his insistent tapping. His eyes flicked to the right and then back to stare straight ahead at his 6th period Spanish teacher. The young half-ghost wasn't actually listening to the woman, but it was easier to pretend that he was. Danny resisted the urge to look to his right again and stared down at his desk, drawing a quick doodle on the edge of it.

_Just don't look, Fenton. Just avoid eye contact, and maybe he'll lose interest. _The boy gritted his teeth as the feeling of being watched did not go away. Danny turned in his seat and glared across the room at the person watching him. Tyler, his arms crossed over his chest, narrowed his eyes in response. The two ghost teens stared each other down before Danny eventually broke away, looking back to the front of the room.

No matter how brave he was trying to act, the young half-ghost was feeling very nervous and anxious. Tyler knew his secret. What would the other boy do with that information? Would he decide to use it against him? _Or worse. _Danny shuddered at the thought, anxiously interlocking his fingers.

Though Danny knew Tyler's secret as well, he couldn't use that information against him. Who could he tell? No one else had really seen Tyler in his ghost form, so there was no proof that he even existed. And even though Danny despised the older boy, he couldn't bring himself to blackmail someone. It just wouldn't be right.

_So where does that leave me? _The dark haired teen looked back up at Senora Harding, not really seeing her. _Could Tyler blackmail me? … I wouldn't put it past him. _The boy ran his right hand through his hair, his expression worried. _What do I do? _

He hadn't had the guts to tell Sam and Tucker about what happened yet and at the moment he felt so alone and confused that it hurt. The only thing that he could take comfort in was that Tyler hadn't tried anything ... yet. _But he only found out yesterday, so he could still do something. What would that be though? _Danny didn't even want to think about it.

What would he do to protect his secret? How far would he go to save himself and his friends? _I'd do anything, _the boy realized in growing fear. _Tyler must know that. I would do anything to protect them because if I go down, they might too. _

The half-ghost could feel Tyler's eyes on him again, and he looked up just as a folded piece of paper landed on his desk. Danny stared down at it and then over at Tyler. The ghost teen scowled and mouthed, '_Read it._'

Swallowing, Danny slowly reached for the note and unfolded it behind his book, so his teacher couldn't see what he was doing. In messy handwriting the note read, 'Meet me after class. We need to talk, _pal._'

Even though there was no actual tone of voice, Danny could feel the disdain in that last word. He shuddered as he refolded the piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. The boy didn't want to listen to Tyler, but what choice did he have? If he didn't, who knew what the other ghost teen would do. Danny clenched his fists, his anger rising. _That dumb jerk. I won't let him blackmail me. _He glared quickly at the older boy, gritting his teeth in fury. _It's not gonna happen. _

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Danny jumped to his feet, angrily grabbing his purple backpack. He slung it over his left shoulder and walked steadily towards the door, ignoring the brief smile his teacher sent him along the way. The half-ghost pushed his way through his classmates and out into the hallway where he saw Tyler leaning against the far wall of lockers. The blond haired teen smirked darkly and stood up to his full height, crossing his arms over his chest.

Danny scowled and mimicked Tyler's stance, though his head only reached to about the other boy's chest. "What do you want?" Danny growled bravely, as the students around him continued on to their classes and then the hallway was empty. They were alone.

"Just to talk," Ty answered casually, his light golden eyes narrowing. If Danny had been paying more attention, he would have realized that Tyler's eyes were normally brown, not gold. But he was much too angry to pay attention to the little detail. "Old friends can talk, can't they?"

Danny clenched his fists. "I wouldn't call us old friends," he shot back, hoping to force a rise out of the other boy. Tyler chuckled harshly in response and shrugged.

"I suppose you're right, _hero._" the ghost teen sneered, his lips quirking. "We were never friends, were we? It was all just a little game, wasn't it? You knew about my secret, so you decided to keep an eye on me. Clever, I have to say."

The half-ghost said nothing to this, his anger growing in strength. _That's not really true, _Danny scowled, his eyebrows drawing together. _But he won't believe me if I say anything against him. _

"And the fact that you have your own secret …" Ty trailed off with a smirk. Danny's eyes opened wide.

The dark haired teen stepped forward angrily. "You won't tell anyone," he growled, his self-control dwindling rapidly.

Tyler smiled sweetly. "No. You're not worth it."

Danny's mouth popped open at having his own words thrown back at him. He stared at Tyler's infuriatingly smug grin, his fists beginning to shake. _That's it! _With a cry of rage, Danny threw himself forward and tackled the older boy to the ground. Tyler, who had been taken by surprise, fell heavily onto his back, banging his head against the ground.

"This is for Jazz!" the half-ghost snarled, smashing his fist into Ty's already bruised, left cheek. The older boy screamed in agony as his head was whipped painfully to the side. _And this is for being a jerk! _Before Danny could hit Tyler again, the blond narrowed his eyes and arched his back, throwing the half-ghost off of him. Danny was tossed backwards, but he quickly rolled to his feet, just as Ty staggered upright. The other ghost teen wiped the back of his right hand across his lips, glaring darkly with dull, golden eyes.

"You're gonna regret that, you prick," he snarled, and charged forward. Danny ducked to the side, missing Ty's initial attack. But the blond pivoted quickly and managed to catch the half-ghost with a powerful roundhouse punch. Danny stumbled backwards, his back slamming into the lockers lining the wall. Before he could move, Tyler leapt forward and drove his fist into Danny's stomach. The boy's breath left him, and he bent over, painfully gasping for air.

"I know how that feels," Ty hissed, leaning down so his face was level with Danny's. "Kinda like your lungs are about to explode, am I right?"

Danny's face contorted with pain as Tyler punched him again in the gut. "Or, does it feel that way now?" the blond haired boy asked, not noticing how much he sounded like Blaze at that moment. The half-ghost glared back at Tyler. No way was he going down like this.

He straightened up forcing away the pain in his stomach, and he rammed his right shoulder into Ty's chest. The blow knocked the taller boy back, and Danny tackled him to the ground again. Both ghost boy's shouted and snarled as they rolled across the floor, both trying to gain leverage over the other. They continued their battle until a shout of surprise sounded in the hallway, followed by large hands pulling them apart.

Danny tried to pull away from his new captor, and he looked up into Mr. Lancer's face. "Let me go!" he demanded, glaring across at Ty who was being restrained by two other male teachers he didn't recognize.

"Mr. Fenton, Mr. Matthews, stop this right now." Lancer said seriously, holding on tight to the squirming half-ghost.

"Get off me." Tyler ground out, trying his best to pull away from the hands holding him at bay. He wanted to use his shadow powers so badly, but he held them inside. That wouldn't help anything. He just wanted to beat the snot out of Danny, that little liar. Make him beg for forgiveness. As Tyler was hauled in the opposite direction of Danny, the golden glow slowly left his eyes, returning them to their normal brown color. His struggles ceased, the fight draining from his body. _I wanna do what? _

He stared over at the scrabbling Danny, his eyes widening. _What did I do? _Everything that had happened since yesterday was all a confusing blur. He couldn't even remember coming to school this morning. _Did … did I attack Danny? _Tyler's mouth opened slightly. He had never seen the youngest Fenton so angry before. It was scary. Tyler must have done something, but, why?

"D-Danny?" the ghost teen said, trying to find some words to describe what was going on. "I-I." He just couldn't form a sentence. He was so confused. The boy yelped as the two teachers holding his arms jerked him back, heading towards the office. Danny was pulled in the same direction, but a few feet back.

"Mr. Fenton, what is the matter with you?" Lancer asked in total disbelief. He had never seen the quiet Daniel Fenton fight anyone before. Let alone someone who he thought the boy was friends with.

"That jerk started it," Danny growled, but he was no longer struggling to get away. He was still angry, and he still wanted to hit Tyler right in the face, but he knew that would be bad. He was probably in enough trouble as it was. The half-ghost scowled. _I can't believe I let my temper go like that. I've never lost it that bad before. _

"Even if that's true, that doesn't give you a right to fight in school." Lancer said, guiding his student towards the principal's office. "Fighting isn't like you, Mr. Fenton."

The half-ghost's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. _Ugh, he's right. _He bit his tongue and followed his teacher sullenly. _I'm in so much trouble. _

Tyler tried to glance over his shoulder at Danny, but the two men holding him forced him to continue walking forward. _I wish they would stop treating me like I'm a psycho! _He stumbled for a moment, but the men dragged him back to his feet almost immediately. Ty wanted to tell them to let him go, but he was pretty sure that they wouldn't listen anyway. The ghost teen closed his eyes and let his body get dragged along without resistance.

It would be best not to cause anymore trouble. He was most likely in enough of it as it was.

The Shadowhunter grimaced as he was pushed down into a wooden chair in the office. He looked up at the two angry faced teachers before staring forlornly back at his hands placed in his lap. On the other side of the room, Danny sat down in a similar chair as Tyler, but didn't turn to face the other teen. Ty couldn't blame him.

He looked away quickly, feeling self-contempt rise inside his chest. He'd lost control. Of what, he didn't know for sure. All he knew was that it was his fault he'd lost it. He was too weak to control whatever was inside of him. _I feel just like I did last time. _Ty rubbed his blond head slowly, staring at the ground beneath his feet. _Something _is_ wrong. _He narrowed his eyes, a spark of anger igniting in his dull brown orbs. _I bet Blaze is responsible. It's always his fault. _

The more Tyler thought about it, the more he realized how close to the truth his assumptions probably were. Something just wasn't right. Not that his life had ever been right, but now it was worse. The boy frowned and looked up when he felt someone watching him.

His eyes opened wide when he saw Jazz Fenton standing in the doorway of the office, her eyes also wide and expression shocked. The two teens stared at each other, powerful emotions battling in their gazes. Ty's was torn between anguish and joy. This was the first time he'd seen Jazz since the incident in the park. God, she looked good.

Jazz's expression was similar to Ty's, but there was a hint of anger tugging at her mouth. A part of her was overjoyed to see the boy she cared so much about, while the other part was beyond angry to see the person who'd hurt her so badly. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The girl had no idea what to say. Instead, she let her eyes slide to the opposite side of the room and land on her younger brother. He looked up at her sheepishly.

He was the reason she'd been called to the office. She didn't say a word to either of the boys and walked up to Mr. Lancer. "You wanted to see me?"

The overweight teacher nodded, taking Jazz by the elbow and leading her a few feet away from the two ghost boys. "Yes, Jasmine, I wanted to talk to you about those two." Lancer nodded his head back to Ty and Danny. "They were fighting. I'm not sure who started it, but Daniel claims it was Tyler. And since you know both of them …"

Jazz swallowed. She shifted her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. After a moment, she said quietly, "That … doesn't surprise me." The girl sighed under her breath, glancing past Mr. Lancer at Tyler. He sat slumped in his chair, refusing to meet her stare. Jazz scowled at him. _Why can't he just look at me? Why can't he just be a man and tell me his feelings? Why did he have to leave me? _Jazz bit her bottom lip to suppress the sob rising in her throat. "Tyler is troubled," the girl heard herself speak, as if from a distance. She frowned at how emotionless her voice sounded. "He and Danny haven't been getting along lately."

Lancer nodded, looking troubled. "Thank you, Jasmine. I don't believe this incident will be blamed on Daniel … but as for Tyler," the man trailed off again. Jazz paled, but quickly pushed away the concern building inside of her.

She didn't care if Tyler got in trouble. As long as her brother was okay, she would be fine. The girl nodded, trying to convince herself. "Is it alright if I take Danny back to class?"

"I think Ms. Chan will want to speak to him," the balding man said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry to have taken you out of class, Jasmine, but I thought you might like speak to your brother."

Jazz forced a small smile to come to her lips. "No, that's alright, Mr. Lancer. I think I'd just like to go back to class now," she said as politely as she could muster. The teacher nodded at her, turning to face the secretary as she called his name. Jazz's gaze was drawn back to Tyler, and he glanced up at her momentarily. In his eyes, Jazz could see agony, but she couldn't understand why unless … unless he still felt something for her. Jazz gasped quietly. Could it be true?

The girl walked slowly towards the exit of the office, keeping her eyes on Ty's face. He opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but no words formed. Jazz examined every inch of his face, tracing the familiar line of his jaw and the sharp angle of his cheekbones. Her eyes rested on the bruises dotting his skin the longest before she looked him directly in the eye. She had missed those eyes. No matter how betrayed she felt, Jazz knew that she could never truly hate Tyler.

Not after everything they'd been through together. As she gazed into his eyes, she knew that Ty still felt for her as much as she did for him. Jazz knew it. _But … then why is he pushing me away? Why? _Jazz didn't understand, and she wasn't sure if she ever would.

As the girl opened the door to leave, she looked back at Tyler. The ghost teen was staring back and forth between the two men standing in front of him. Their backs were facing Tyler, their attention diverted elsewhere. Jazz sighed and took a step out the door, when Ty's rough, calloused hand grabbed her elbow. She turned to face him, surprise flittering across her face. "What-?" Jazz started, but the ghost teen cut her off.

He placed a finger gently to her lips. "Jazz," he whispered her name, enjoying the sweet sound of it. "Jazz, listen to me." Tyler swallowed hard. He wanted to tell Jazz everything that had happened to him, but he knew he couldn't. He just couldn't. _Blaze told me never to see her again. What if he finds out about this? _Fear entered his eyes, and his hand tightened around Jazz's elbow, causing her to wince slightly. _I-I can't put her in danger like that, but her face … _

"Yes?" Jazz breathed, her heart jumping into her throat at Tyler's presence.

The ghost teen stared down at Jazz, unable to look away. Her expression was tearing his already torn heart into pieces. He knew Jazz was in as much pain as he was. And he could stop it. He could stop all of it with just a few little words, but at what price? The boy briefly closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Jazz's lilac soap. It reminded him so much of old times. For a moment, all of his problems disappeared and he found himself feeling completely care-free, just like he had when he first met Jazz. The boy sighed deeply, a small smile coming to his lips. He was going to tell her.

But of course, reality had to burst in and destroy his chance. Tyler's eyes snapped open when he felt two sets of hands land on his shoulders and pull him away from Jazz. "Come along, son." one of the male teachers said solemnly. "Ms Chan will see you now."

Tyler glared at the man, jerking his arms angrily. "She can wait one second," he snarled insolently. The two teachers shared an angry glance, but Ty ignored them, staring intently at Jazz. "Listen, Jazz, please listen." He tried to reach forward and hold her hand, but the men's grip only tightened on his arms, forcing him to wince. "I-I never meant to hurt you," Tyler whispered, praying truth rang throughout his words. "I love you, Jazzy-pants. I always have."

Jazz's left hand shot up to cover her mouth, a gasp escaping her lips. _He's telling the truth. I can always tell when he's lying. It's the truth. _Jazz smiled through the tears in her eyes. Her lips wobbled, and she blinked quickly a few times. Jazz forced herself to nod.

Tyler grinned when he saw this. _She believes me! I knew she would. Jazz is so smart. _"I love you, Jazzy-pants. I. Love. You." The words felt so wonderful to say, and he felt so relieved to finally utter them. He'd been waiting so long to do so.

Jazz watched as Tyler was forced to turn around and walk towards the other side of the room. He craned his neck around to look at Jazz, a desperate glint in his brown eyes. "Same here," Jazz whispered, her voice sounding thick. The last thing she saw of Ty before he was pulled into the Principal's office was his bright smile that seemed to light up the room.

--

"Excellent," Vlad Plasmius murmured. He paused from his work and shut off the small, handheld welding tool he was using to connect two pieces of metal. The half-ghost pulled the black goggles away from his eyes and placed them on his forehead. He flicked his gaze over to his companion and offered a small grin. "You've done well, Skulker. I will have your payment as soon as possible."

Skulker nodded, glancing around at his surroundings slowly. He had to admit, Plasmius knew his way around human and ghost technology. From the outside, the building looked nothing like a lab at all. It looked more like an abandoned warehouse. But the inside, Skulker shook his head in awe. Plasmius had to be working on this place night and day for it to look so high-tech. The hunter ghost looked at the half-way built device in the back corner with a curious expression.

The ghost titled his head a bit to the side, looking the machine up and down. So far, it consisted of two curved, metal towers, bending in towards each other with a circular structure built into the ground between them. It looked like two more towers were in the process of being built, but Skulker didn't know for sure. One of the already built towers had a small keypad attached to the side with a plasma screen above it.

"I call it, The Plasmius Dimension Ripper," Plasmius explained, noticing his friend's stare. "Interesting device, isn't it?"

Skulker nodded, looking back at the machine curiously. "What does it do?" He glanced back at his employer. "If you don't mind me asking."

The half-ghost waved his hand through the air. "Not at all, Skulker." He moved around the table and stood beside the machine, placing a hand on the steel structure. Plasmius looked up at the device that towered over him and grinned. "It does exactly what the name says it does," the half-ghost said. "Once completed, it will open a portal to the Ghost Zone."

Skulker frowned thoughtfully, watching his employer's every movement a bit nervously. He had never seen Plasmius look so … relaxed before. That usually wasn't a good sign. "Why?" Skulker asked slowly, resisting the urge to scratch his head. What was the point of creating the device when Plasmius already had a Ghost Zone portal? _Did Plasmius finally lose it? _The half-ghost had never been the most stable being in the world.

Plasmius chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said smugly.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Skulker asked in annoyance. He hated it when his employer got this way. And he knew that Plasmius knew that, which made him even more annoyed.

"Because that information is on a need to know basis," the half-ghost explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned his back against the Dimension Ripper. "You don't need to know, Skulker."

The hunter ghost scowled and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of Plasmius. "I'll take my leave then."

Before Skulker had taken two steps, Plasmius said, "Don't you want to know why I asked you to reveal Daniel's secret?" Skulker stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. _I do want to know, actually. How does he do that? _

The ghost sighed and turned to face his ally/friend. His expression said that he did want to know and that Plasmius should go do something anatomically unlikely with himself if he did not tell him.

Plasmius grinned. "I'll give you that because I enjoy your company, Skulker." the half-ghost said teasingly. "I needed Daniel out of the way, you see. My new plan, that I am sure will not fail, is depending on the fact that Daniel not get involved." Plasmius chuckled softly, shaking his head. "And now that Tyler knows his secret, I'm sure he will be very busy. Too busy, in fact, to pay any attention to a few, small robberies being committed in his home town."

Skulker's eyebrows raised, and he rocked back on his heels. "And your plot, I'm guessing, has to do with the head Shadowhunter, Blaze," the ghost stated. Plasmius nodded, looking quite full of himself. "You do know that he can not be trusted, right?"

"Of course, Skulker," the man said with a wave of his hand. "The foolish Shadowhunter is underestimating me, and we both know that is not a wise thing."

Skulker nodded in agreement. _So what does the whelp, two Shadowhunters and a portal creating device have to do with anything? _The hunter ghost resisted the urge to rub his temples. He had never tried to figure out his employer's schemes before, and he didn't know why he was doing so now. Everything just seemed so confusing. And he was sure that Plasmius wouldn't reveal anything else to him.

"Interesting," Skulker murmured, hoping his voice didn't sound too confused.

Plasmius laughed sympathetically. "I would tell you more, Skulker, but at the moment, I want that information to remain confidential."

Skulker shrugged as if he didn't care one way or the other. "Whatever you say, Plasmius. As long as you know what you're doing."

The half-ghost nodded, his expression looking quite sinister. "Believe me, I do, Skulker. I really do."

--

Suspended until further notice. Suspended. No matter how many times Ty thoughts the words, he just couldn't understand them. How had it happened? No, he knew how it had happened. He just couldn't understand why.

Ms. Chan had obviously had enough of his antics, and she'd suspended him until further notice. Which, Ty suspected, meant a long time. But the salt in the wound was the fact that Danny had gotten off with only a couple of detentions because, "it was his first offence."

_First offence, my ass, _the boy thought heatedly. He was in a bad mood again. Though he didn't know it, his eyes were that odd, golden, brown color again. It was weird. He couldn't remember anything now but the fight and getting suspended. The ghost teen sighed and rubbed his right hand across his cheek. He'd never been suspended before. Tyler didn't know how to react to the situation. Part of him said to get angry and the other said to stay calm. He wasn't sure which side was winning but, at this point, he really couldn't care less.

The ghost teen mounted the steps to his home, glancing wearily behind him. He'd been literally kicked out of school and since his mother was at work and couldn't come pick him up, he had to walk home. _Not that I should be surprised, _Tyler thought, sticking his key in the lock. _Mom's never around to pick me up. In fact, mom's never around at all! _He pushed the front door open and slammed it shut behind him.

Angrily, he chunked his keys at the kitchen bar table and threw his bag down. He stared down at it, breathing heavily. _There goes my last chance at passing High school. Now I'll be a bum just like my o'l man. Funny, he always said I'd turn out like him. _

Tyler began to laugh at the irony. It was a sad, pathetic laugh. The laugh of a person who has given up any chance of happiness. Who has given up everything they hold dear. Who is ready to just give in. The boy stopped laughing and leaned his left arm against the living room wall. He was so tired of it all. At this point, he didn't care about anything.

_I just … I can't take this anymore. _Tyler chewed on his bottom lip, staring despairingly at the ground. He suddenly sighed and sank down to his knees, all of the fight gone from his body. _I really do give up. I can't fight anymore. _

He was done. Ty had nothing left to fight with. He had nothing left to give. Tyler sighed in defeat. For some reason, it tasted less bitter than he first thought it would. The gold color faded from Tyler's eyes, but the defeated feeling remained inside of his body.

_But Jazz still loves me. _His head perked up at the thought, a bit of happiness shining in his eyes._ That counts for something. Not that I can see her again, anyway. God, I'm such an idiot. When Blaze finds out, he's going to kill me … or worse._

"There's no way out," he whispered hoarsely, shoulders drooping again. He wouldn't be able to see Jazz again. The boy knew that Blaze would not allow it, and strangely, he knew that he wouldn't be able to not listen to the ancient Shadowhunter. Tyler couldn't fight the man anymore. He was just too strong, and Ty was much too weak. Anytime he tried to resist the Shadowhunter's ways, he failed.

_What's the point anymore?_ Tyler found himself not wanting to disobey his mentor. _But I know that I should. I should want to fight against that psycho. But … I just can't. I don't know why, but, I can't._ The boy gripped a chunk of his hair with his right hand, a grimace of pain on his exhausted face. He was so confused.

The ghost teen stiffened as a large hand landed on his right shoulder, followed by a silky voice that said, "I believe you wanted to speak to me."

Ty didn't look up at Blaze. He could already hear the grin in the man's voice. The boy continued to stare unseeingly down at the floor. _How does he do that? How does he always know the worst time to show up? _Tyler shook his head miserably, hoping Blaze would take the hint and just leave him alone. Although he knew that he wouldn't.

"Hm," the ancient Shadowhunter murmured, tapping his chin with a forefinger. "I was almost positive that you did." He smirked down at his young student, looking straight into his dull, brown eyes. _He's under the Mark's influence right now. I can sense it. I wonder how much control it has over him … _

Blaze crossed his arms behind his back and leaned down so his head was close to Tyler's. "I heard you had a bit of trouble today, Shade," he stated, keeping his face carefully blank. The boy shifted uneasily, fear filling his wide eyes. "Something about fighting your so-called friend, I believe." The ghost teen's eyes went wider if possible, and he dug his hands into the fabric of his jeans legs tightly. "And you ran into dear Jasmine, didn't you?"

Ty looked away from Blaze's fiery, orange gaze, his own eyes darting back and forth quickly. _What do I say? What should I say?! How does he even know that? _He yelped as the ancient Shadowhunter grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced Ty to look back at him.

"Answer me, Shade. Didn't you?" Blaze asked firmly, taking in Ty's reaction with honest curiosity. If the boy responded with anger, then the Mark wasn't having much of an influence. But if the boy behaved submissively, then the Mark was having an even greater effect than Blaze first thought.

Tyler visibly winced, gasping a bit as the grip on his hair tightened. He wanted to change into his ghost form and escape so badly, but he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Blaze would just find him again and humiliate him before beating him to a pulp. _I just need to face facts, _Ty told himself, opening his half-closed eyes slowly. _Blaze is my mentor and there's nothing I can do to stop him from being that. He won't leave me alone, and he'll always have the upper hand. Besides, it's not like I can lie to him, anyway. _

"Y-yes, sir," Ty whispered, grimacing at the pain rushing through his scalp. "I did." He quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to see the rush of anger fill the ancient Shadowhunter's face. Ty gasped in surprise when the hand released his hair, and Blaze took a step back, smirking knowingly.

The Mark _was_ working. If it wasn't, the boy would have never admitted that, nor called him 'sir.' Blaze rubbed his coarse beard for a moment, narrowing his eyes. _I should see how much of an effect it is having. This should be quite interesting._

"How-how did you know?" Ty asked quietly, staring at a spot on the ground just before Blaze's boots. He couldn't even look his mentor in the eye.

"You forget," Blaze answered without missing a beat. "I know everything that you do, boy. A part of me is always with you, just like every other Shadowhunter. There is nothing you can do that I am not aware of. You know this."

_I do. _Tyler thought in growing despair. He'd just never accepted it until now. "Then, you know about Plasmius?"

The Shadowhunter actually didn't know what his student was talking about, but he nodded anyway, watching in amusement as Tyler shuddered. Blaze did not pay attention to all of his student's actions because, at times, it could become very tiring. And although his powers were strong, they were not limitless. _But I must remember to pursue this matter further. I am curious as to why the half-ghost is still talking to Shade when I specifically ordered him not to. _

"Tsk, tsk, Shade," Blaze said, shaking his head. He clicked his tongue in clear disappointment and locked his arms behind his back. "It is most disheartening that you are keeping secrets from me, my boy," Blaze said gravelly, keeping his expression blank. He turned his back on the teen and walked several feet away before sighing loudly. "And that you disobeyed me."

Tyler rose shakily to his feet, eyes shining a faint gold. He stared at Blaze's back, shaking his head dully. No. He didn't want to disobey his mentor. He didn't want to disappoint him. The teen couldn't really remember what he had done to upset Blaze, but he knew he'd done something wrong. The boy felt shame wash through his body, and he looked at the ground sadly.

Blaze sighed again, shooting a glance at Ty over his shoulder. "I thought I was teaching you better than this." The man almost sputtered at seeing the hurt expression on his student's face. He actually cared! The boy cared that he had disappointed Blaze. The ancient Shadowhunter looked away from Ty, covering his mouth with his left hand to hold back his grin and laughter. This was just too rich.

_I've been waiting for this moment since I met him, _Blaze thought, a smile forcing its way across his face. _And it has finally come. _

"I-I'm sorry," Ty whimpered, lurching towards the man on unsteady legs. "I didn't mean to, si-"

"Oh, I think you did mean to, Shade," the ancient Shadowhunter interrupted. He turned to face the boy, his expression solemn. "I think you meant to disobey me. You never have been obedient. You've always broken my rules."

The ghost teen raised his hands and said desperately, "I can do better. I promise I can." _Just don't be disappointed. He can't be disappointed in me. I'm supposed make him proud. What can I say to apologize?_ Ty searched his mind for anything that would make his mentor happy. He _needed _to make him happy. After a moment, Shade found it. The boy immediately kneeled down on one knee, bowing his head. "Please, Master Blaze, believe me. I can do better."

The man's mouth fell open at hearing the boy's title for him. _Did he just-? _Blaze quickly hid his surprise and hummed softly. He stepped forward and lifted Ty's head up. "Can you, Shade? Can you really do better?"

"Yes, Master Blaze." the boy's response was automatic, his light, golden eyes full of unrelenting loyalty.

"Will you follow my every order without question?" Blaze prompted, a slight smile growing on his face. _He is mine._

"Yes, Master Blaze."

"You will defy me no longer, Shade?"

"No, Master Blaze. I will not defy you."

The ancient Shadowhunter paused, his orange eyes glowing with pride. He had done it. He had finally managed to break the child's will. _I finally have the boy under my thumb. I now have the perfect weapon at my disposal. _Blaze laughed, closing his eyes momentarily as the feeling of victory washed through him. "Tell me, boy," Blaze asked languidly. "Who do you belong to?"

Tyler didn't answer for a moment, his eyebrows drawing together. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle. Though most of his mind was being controlled by the Mark, a small part still fought against the ghostly influence. It was the human side of him that was fighting back now. It did not want this to happen. It knew that if Tyler answered, he'd be gone. Lost to the ways of a race of ghosts he didn't belong with. This part of the boy clung to life with an iron grip, but it slowly lost the battle and was pushed away, far into the back of the teen's mind.

"You, Master Blaze," Ty obediently answered, any emotion now gone from his voice. All expression had left his face. He felt dead inside, as if there was nothing left of his old self. Perhaps there wasn't. The only emotion the boy felt was a need to serve his mentor, to make him proud. Everything else had just drifted away. Except for the pounding ache in his head, there was nothing else. Nothing mattered.

"That is correct, Shade," the man said, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a cruel smirk. "Only to me." He chuckled for a moment, gaining intense amusement from the blank stare his student was sending him. Blaze knew that stare. The newly turned Shadowhunter's always reacted this way. The feeling of having your freewill taken from you was hard to deal with, especially for one so young. Blaze frowned momentarily, his eyebrows knitting together.

_He is young, even if I don't want to admit it. _The man tilted his head a bit to the side, looking straight into Shade's dull, golden eyes. _Young enough, even, to be my son … if he was still alive of course. _Blaze scoffed, dragging his right hand through his shaggy, black hair. _What am I thinking? _The Shadowhunter scowled and shook his head. _The past is the past. I need to leave it there. Shade is not my son, and I do not want him to be. _

Blaze cleared his throat at the uncomfortable thoughts whirling through his mind. He always tried not to think of his past human life, or the people in it, but sometimes he lost what little control he had over his thoughts. It usually happened more often around Shade. _He just looks so much like Joseph – _No. The Shadowhunter clamped down on the thought. He did not need to think of his son. He didn't need that headache now.

The ancient Shadowhunter narrowed his bright, orange eyes, all indecision gone from his expression. The man had gone too far to back down now and it was really too late to do so, anyway. He grabbed Tyler's chin and said softly, "I have a job for you, Shade." The boy perked up, and Blaze smiled harshly. It was time his new and improved student had a little test run.

* * *

ML: Uh … heh, hello. Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? But, hey, when life gets you down you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming … what do we do? We swim, swim. Was that drawn out? Yes. Do I mind? Nope, not really. But I have no idea what to say about this chapter. I bet you thought it was going to end well for a second there, didn't you? Well, so did I. -laughs- Don't know what the heck happened in this chapter. I like the way it turned out, but no idea where it came from.

And Blaze's kid, yeah, that's part of his past. Before he died he had a kid named Joseph, who looks like Ty. -evil laugh- Coincidence? I think not. I just wanted to throw in that, yes, Blaze does in fact have a heart. It's tiny, but still there. That's basically why he is like he is. He lost everything when he became a Shadowhunter. His entire family died before he could escape back to the human world, so he's kinda pissed at everything, really. Can you blame the poor guy for being a heartless jerk? … Yeah, you can.

Well, hope ya'll enjoyed. Feel free to share your angry, excited, upset, etc. views with me.


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